Heart of Darkness
by theamerican91
Summary: After Batman and the Justice League cut ties with each other, a vengeful enemy returns and cripples him. Now it is up to the Founders to save their former friend. But to do that, they will have to undergo a journey like no other where they not only discover the buried secrets of the Dark Knight, but find their own weaknesses and strengths being tested. Cover art by Electricboa.
1. The Lone Man

**This story is set after Batman dismantles the Batclan in response to the Joker's kidnapping and torture of Tim Drake as seen in Batman Beyond. It also takes place after the Apocalypse '09 when Batman last encountered Ra's Al Ghul before Terry and Bruce battle him again fifty years later. Basically the Apocalypse of '09 in my story is the DCAU version of the Tower of Babel arc where Ra's uses Batman's own countermeasures against the JLA. Batman as of now just works in Gotham by himself. Once again I do not own Batman or any other DC Comics characters used here.**

* * *

><p>The moon rose in Gotham on a cloudless night. Even though it was summer, it did not mean the city was immune to an occasional chill from a stray wind. Tonight though, it was a pretty powerful wind for the summer, which in turn lowered the usually warm temperatures common on the summer nights. Many people had their windows shut due to the lack of heat brought on by the wind. But on one rooftop stood one man, ignoring the slight cold, waiting impatiently. He was having difficulty with lighting his cigar because of the wind. He was standing next to a big spotlight, waiting for someone. The man didn't want to be standing out there all night but someone had to break the news to the Dark Knight. None of the other cops and detectives were comfortable doing it. Usually the Commissioner would be doing this job. But Gordon was unable to do this job anymore and so the burden had fallen on Detective Harvey Bullock, who had started to chew on his cigar in frustration while trying to ignore the wind picking up.<p>

"Why does it have to be so fucking cold tonight?" Harvey complained to himself. "What's taking him so long?"

Harvey had half his mind to turn off the signal and go back inside but not before he felt a presence behind him.

"Hello Harvey," a hoarse baritone voice whispered behind him.

Harvey didn't jump but was still a little unnerved by the sudden appearance behind him. Nonetheless, he acted like he was not fazed at all.

"Took you long enough," Bullock muttered angrily and turned around to face Batman. Batman was always a little taller than him so Bullock was used to having to look up slightly. This time though Batman seemed older, as if hunched over. When was the last time he had seen Batman up close and personal? Two, maybe three years?

"What do you want?" Batman hissed, acting like his time was being wasted.

Bullock scowled at him angrily before dropping his cigar and rubbing his shoe against it.

"Gordon's dead. The cancer finally got him," Bullock explained while trying to mask the overall sadness in his voice.

Batman didn't reply but just stared coldly at Bullock with the soulless white eyes in the cowl. Bullock laughed and went to light up another cigar.

"I guess you're like me pal," he said while he attempted to shield the flame from the wind.

"I'm not the one laughing at his death," Batman pointed out while keeping the stone cold glare.

"I'm not! He was my friend too you know! Where were you when he died? Did you visit him at all?" Bullock snapped back angrily. He didn't like it when people questioned his loyalty to Gordon.

After finally igniting his second cigar, Bullock took a puff and continued on.

"I'm merely laughing at how both of us are too stubborn to grieve over his death. It's pathetic when you think about it. Jim was more than our colleague; he was our friend. And yet we're too busy with our work to show grief over it."

Silence was the only response Batman gave. Bullock sighed sadly and began to walk around to warm himself up.

"How is his family?" Batman finally asked. He had not kept much contact with Barbara since his final battle with the Joker. She at first did not even speak to him for a few years because he had taken away her costume after the tragedy.

"His wife's alright. Gordon's pension should take care of her. Babs just got in last week. She was at his side in the hospital when he finally...well you know."

Batman felt some relief although he didn't show it. At least Jim had someone to be with before he died. Jim didn't deserve to end up like Batman, all alone in his time of dying.

"You didn't bring me up here to talk about Gordon though did you?" Batman asked crisply. That was how he always was, business first.

Bullock scowled again.

"Try to show some respect," he muttered angrily.

Batman just glared and Bullock sighed before clearing his throat.

"You're right though. I do want to talk to you about some other stuff. I don't know if you heard, but I've been made acting Commissioner as of last night by the mayor."

"Congratulations," Batman muttered. Bullock could not tell if he was being sarcastic but decided it was not worth fretting over.

"I'm going to warn you right now Batfreak, although I'm still willing to work with you, I'm a different man than Jim. Some changes are being made."

Batman did not respond but remained cold and stoic as ever. Bullock was frustrated by the lack of reaction from him.

"First off, no more going solo, I want you to keep us in the loop more when you're working on the case," Bullock stated. It was not a request.

Still Batman gave no reaction. That didn't deter Bullock though.

"Secondly, no more underage sidekicks. It's becoming enough of a liability keeping up after you alone. We don't need you getting any more kids hurt!"

Batman still remained silent. Little did Bullock know that Gordon had helped cover up what had happened to Tim Drake, the last Robin.

"You got that? No more Robins running around. You know there's still a bunch of rumors about what happened to the last one and Batgirl. The new mayor himself doesn't like the idea of you putting kids' lives in danger."

Batman still remained silent. Bullock remembered a few years ago, he and the rest of the police noticed that Robin and Batgirl had been suspiciously absent in Gotham. Finally out of curiosity Bullock confronted Gordon about it. Gordon however responded that Batman had forced Batgirl and Robin to retire so their lives wouldn't be in danger anymore. Bullock however was suspicious. He felt there was something else that Gordon knew but wasn't telling him, but he nonetheless trusted Gordon. If Gordon didn't want to tell Bullock more, there was a reason behind it.

"Third, no more of this personal rivalry you have with these supervillains or whatever you call 'em these days. When you come into conflict with one, you'll call us for help."

"That sounds like the first request," Batman noted dryly.

"These aren't requests!" Bullock warned.

Batman still remained calm and undisturbed much to Bullock's annoyance.

"Fourthly, we want you to stop kicking the Justice League out of Gotham. There was a big fire downtown last week during the same time there was an Arkham prison riot. We could've used the extra manpower," Bullock angrily pointed out. He was frustrated that Batman seemed to give no emotional response to his demands. However this time, Batman had finally showed some reaction, albeit an unexpected one. Batman had snorted out a laugh, or at least you could call it laugh. It sounded more like a hoarse cough to Bullock.

"You think they don't come here because I tell them not too?"

"Come on! We know you aren't the friendliest to anyone who tries to help out in Gotham, let alone if they have superpowers!"

Batman shook his head. That angered Bullock who was tempted to punch him because of the patronizing attitude.

"They don't come here because they want nothing to do with me anymore. The Justice League and I have parted ways two years ago."

"I wonder why?" Bullock replied sarcastically. It was a miracle that anyone would even bother working with him.

Bullock turned around and took another puff to his cigar.

"Lastly no more of these disappearing acts," he said before turning around to find out he spoke too late. He was on the roof alone again.

"That son of a bitch!" Bullock swore angrily.

* * *

><p>Batman crouched on the rooftop overlooking the streets. He was furious that Bullock thought just because Gordon died, he was going to change how Batman did things. Gotham was Batman's city. His way of doing things had been working for the past twenty something years. Batman wouldn't be stopping until he died. Feeling the wind against his suit, Batman had let his thoughts drift. It had been a while since he actually allowed him some time to reflect. Just over four years ago, he was with the Justice League celebrating the downfall of Darkseid. He remembered being hopeful that maybe it was a sign of a new world order. A world of peace. A world that didn't need a Batman, Superman, or Justice League anymore. And if the world didn't need a Justice League, maybe Gotham wouldn't need a Batman either.<p>

But it had been a fool's hope. A year later, the Joker had kidnapped and nearly brainwashed Tim to insanity. He had lost his edge that night. He would've snapped the clown's neck if he had not hesitated. The Joker was lucky that his body was now rotting in the remains of old Arkham, otherwise Batman would've dealt a special punishment for him. In response to the tragedy, Batman immediately took Tim to Leslie Thompkins to help him recover. Gordon had helped him cover up the Joker's death, understanding Tim didn't deserve to go to prison for killing the mad clown. However, the deal was that Batman in exchange had to make Barbara retire the Batgirl mantle. Batman probably would not have been able to do it without Gordon's help. Barbara and Tim were too young to waste their lives like him in fighting a hopeless crusade. Wearing the Bat mantle was an almost guaranteed death sentence in these times.

Dick meanwhile was in Bludhaven, operating on his own without any contact or support from Batman. When Tim was under Leslie's care, Dick had tried to come to Gotham again to help out but Batman forced him out. Despite the fact that Dick and he were now estranged, Batman knew it was for the best. Batman worked better in Gotham alone. Still though, the pain of their last conversation never went away. It had hurt Batman greatly when his first adopted son that he had raised and loved, told him that he would end up alone. And how true that was.

For a whole year, Batman had worked in Gotham alone while simultaneously helping Leslie taking care of Tim. He still had worked in the Justice League but sparingly. For a while it seemed he had found a perfect balance between not getting too close to people to put them in danger without completely cutting himself off from everyone. But once again, fate had other plans. Two years after the fall of Darkseid, Ra's Al Ghul had put his latest eco-terrorist scheme to action. That time, Ra's almost succeeded because he had crippled the Justice League. And it was all because of Batman. Ra's had managed to get a hold of countermeasures that Batman had collected on many members of the League as well as on the Watchtower and Metro Tower. The intent of those countermeasures was to protect the world if the League ever was compromised. Batman never intended for them to fall into the wrong hands.

But they did and when Ra's implemented them, it was almost a disaster. Some members of the League were almost killed because of it. The second Watchtower almost had met a similar fate to its predecessor had Mister Terrific not been able to override the security protocols that Batman had put in place. But that wasn't the end of the League's troubles. After Batman had managed to stop Ra's once and for all, the founders decided to have meeting to discuss whether Batman should be expelled. Batman remembered most of them were giving him looks of shock and betrayal, especially Clark and Diana, during the meeting. They were all idiots. They didn't understand that it was necessary to have some checks and balances against the most powerful organization in the world. What would happen if the League had become mind controlled or possessed again? Worse, what if they followed the road of the Justice Lords and take over the world themselves?

They may have thought after Cadmus that they would never become the Justice Lords, but they were fools. One of them going rogue was still possible. Everyone had a breaking point; the Joker had found Batman's after all before Tim killed him. That was why Batman had put those measures in. He didn't intend for them to be weapons but safeguards. But the founders did not see it like him. They only saw it as only one thing; betrayal. They wouldn't hear any of his arguments or justifications. In their eyes it was worse than what Shayera had done when she betrayed Earth to her home planet because Shayera had apologized for her mistakes and repented. Batman however had refused to show remorse. He was sorry that his countermeasures had fallen into the wrong hands, but he didn't regret having them. He knew he did the right thing. At least that is what he had been telling himself the past two years.

Knowing he had lost the favor of the majority of the founders, he decided to quit on the spot before they could vote to expel him out. He didn't need to suffer anymore humiliation. On his way out he had a confrontation with a few but he brushed them off. He didn't care anymore for them. They wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He did warn them that he would not get in their way if they stayed out of his. Gotham was his jurisdiction; they could have the rest of the world for all he cared. Unfortunately, his parting of the League was not the end of his isolation. About a few months after he quit the League, Alfred had gone on a holiday to England only to have contracted pneumonia. Bruce had to fly all the way out to London to be with Alfred as he died. He then flew the body home and had it buried next to his parents.

For a while it was just Bruce and Tim living in the manor after Tim had recovered. But Tim, like the others, soon left. When he turned eighteen last year, he decided since he was not allowed to be Robin anymore, there was no need for him to stick around in Gotham. He had left and got accepted into some engineering school on the West Coast. So now it was just Batman to himself now. Continuing the vigil in Gotham until he died. He did not regret it. It was for the best. It allowed him to complete his mission without any distractions. It was better for him to be alone. His mission came first while his own happiness, a distant last. That was why his heart needed to be close off to everyone. Otherwise, his enemies would use it to distract him.

"HELP!"

The sound of a scream caught his attention. A woman was getting mugged by some hoodlums. Batman descended from the rooftops and within seconds had handled the punks with ease. Maybe he was a little too aggressive, but he needed to blow off a little steam. When finished, he ignored the woman he had just rescued and grappled back onto a roof, intending to find somewhere else to patrol. The lower East End had been slow lately. Or so he thought.

In an alleyway not too far away in the shadows stood a mysterious figure. The figure was wearing a heavy blue cloak and a hood. His face was hidden by the shadows that the hood cast. The only visible part of his face in the perpetual blackness were two glowing yellow eyes and gleaming teeth.

"Yes, Batman, keep patrolling the city. You won't be able to do it again when I have my revenge," the man grinned wickedly as the Dark Knight had disappeared into the darkness.


	2. Happier Lives

Diana got out of bed and stretched. It had been a while since she had got any sleep and she deserved it. The League itself was not really facing major problems, but the diplomats with the UN were. There was a civil war in an African country. After much deadlock and head butting, Diana had managed to spearhead the UN to sponsor a treaty to get the two warring sides to stop the bloodshed.

She hoped it would be in a step in the right direction soon. She could only do so much as Wonder Woman. As Diana, ambassador of Thermyscara, she could do a lot more.

She had slept in the embassy last night. She liked it much better than the Metro or Watchtower because it allowed her more privacy. Also it allowed her to be closer to Tom.

Roughly about two years ago, she had been introduced to Tom Tresser by King Faraday. He and Faraday were aiding the League in providing protection to a summit between two Middle East countries in the U.S. After stopping a mad suicide bomber with Tom and King, Tom had offered to take her for drinks.

Never really having much experience on dating, Diana at first rejected the offer but after a prodding by Shayera, she called him a week later. Soon one thing led to another, and before she knew it, she was dating him.

An Amazon dating a man! Who would have thought?

She and Tom got a long well together. Both were hard working people and respected each other. They both understood their jobs meant they would busy. But the best part was that Tom was trustworthy. Diana could always trust Tom to be there for her as she would for him.

They were planning to go to dinner in the city tonight. He was not telling her where. He wanted to surprise her. He really was a good man.

Humming to herself as she got dressed, she heard a faint beeping on the commlink that she had left on her night stand.

Sighing with reluctance she went up to it and picked it up.

"Wonder Woman," she said promptly.

"Wonder Woman, you are needed up at the Watchtower," Mister Terrific said on the other end urgently.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. Superman wants the other five founders to meet with him in private."

Diana sighed in relief. If it was really urgent Superman would have demanded an emergency teleportation. With a spin she was already dressed in her full Amazon regalia.

"Alright Holt, send me up."

000000

"We'll be there," John said sharply through the commlink.

"Shayera! We got to go!" John shouted to the other room, over the calls of his crying son who he was holding in his arms.

"I say I would just be a minute! Can you hold for like five seconds?"

John sighed and attempted to calm Rex down. No luck, the baby kept bawling loudly in his arms.

"You got your mother's shriek at least…" he muttered darkly.

"I heard that!" Shayera replied angrily as she walked out of the room.

"Here give him to me," she ordered and before John could turn around, Rex was already yanked out of his arms into his wife's.

"How is my little baby? How is he? Do you miss your mommy?"

Immediately Rex had ceased his sobbing and instead was looking into his mother's eyes with rapt attention.

"You are just like your daddy. You just keep making noise until you get attention from me."

"Hey!" John laughed.

Shayera kissed her son on the forehead.

"We will be back," she cooed softly and gently lowered him into the crib.

After Shayera gave birth, John and Shayera decided to live up on the Watchtower until they could find a nanny. They were not comfortable to be ready to leave him at a moment's notice by himself, so the Watchtower ended up being a good destination. If either parent was on a mission, Mister Terrific could keep an eye on him on the monitor womb.

No one seemed to mind a baby was being raised on the Watchtower. In fact many heroes loved Rex and would be more than willing to calm him down and hold him when he was upset because his mother and father were not around.

After Rex started to snore, John and Shayera softly exited the room. They were told to head to the meeting room by Mister Terrific. Superman had apparently some big news for the founders.

"What do you think he wants?" asked John suspiciously as they made their way through the space station to the meeting room.

"Who knows? Maybe he wants to recruit more members?"

John shook his head.

"We just did that. Maybe add another seat to the council? It has been getting annoying with an even number. No one to break the tie."

Shayera slapped him on the head.

"What was that for?"

"For being an insensitive jerk! You know the reason why Superman has not added another member? He does not want to replace Batman! He was his best friend!"

"Yeah but even the Boy Scout was willing to kick him out after the countermeasure incident! Bruce had become a loose cannon!"

"Yes, but he is our loose cannon! No one can replace him! I still think we should give him another chance! You guys gave me one!"

John groaned. Not this fight again.

"The difference, Shayera, was that you apologized and repented. He did not! I still believe he does not see that he did anything wrong. Besides no one has talked to him in two years. We have moved on!"

Shayera gave him a stink eye and stomped ahead of him so she could finish the walk by herself.

John shook his head.

Shayera was one of the few who was angry about Batman's dismissal from the League. When they were about to call it to a vote, she decided to abstain because she felt like she could not judge effectively, being in an almost identical situation years ago.

But still, John knew she was upset he resigned. She was even more upset when she learned her fiancé was going to vote for his expulsion.

It is not that John did not trust Bruce, it was just he was proving to get restless. The founder's were aware something had happened in Gotham about a year after the battle with Darkseid that had caused Batman to kick out the rest of the batclan in Gotham.

John remembered noticing Bruce was not the same for a whole year after the mysterious incident in Gotham that caused him to snap. The whole League knew as well. Superman and Diana had personally tried to talk to him about it, but as usual Batman brushed them off.

John remembered warning the other founders' they should not let Bruce's clear growing signs of distress slide anymore. They should have confronted him before he did something stupid. But they did not listen. Diana and Superman were willing to let Bruce get away with everything as usual under the excuse that "he does not grieve well, give him time."

Well look what happened. After a year of letting it slide, the whole League was nearly killed by Batman and his countermeasures. And the worst part was, Batman had remained completely unapologetic. Batman was a crazy man who was growing paranoid with his age. He was not fit to be on the League anymore.

Personally John did not like how the League refused to work in Gotham and let Batman take the control. Batman should not be in position to making demands.

However he decided to put his angry thoughts about Batman away. He had reached the meeting room and did not need to be distracted.

00000

"!Can'thelpit!IwillcomebackasquickasIcan!" Wally said dramatically as he frantically searched the apartment for his suit. Even with his super speed he was finding trouble.

Linda meanwhile was trying hard to contain her laughter. He was really cute when he was wound up and nervous like that.

Finally after much chaos, Wally found what he was looking for and put it on.

Linda was on the verge of tears with laughter.

"What is it?" Flash asked nervously.

"You still have the mustard stain on your suit!" she said pointing to a noticeable spot of yellow front and center on the uniform.

Immediately his face not covered by the mask was redder than the suit.

Linda laughed again.

"Just go in your civilian identity dear."

"But I can't give away my secret identity!"

"Wally, you told me you were the Flash within five seconds of our second date. I doubt you could have kept your identity secret to most members of the League after being on it for almost ten years."

She had a point. Wally was not the best in terms of keeping secrets.

"Fine," and with a whirl he was back in a baggy jacket and jeans.

"This is just a meeting Linda. Should be back in no time."

"Don't worry, I got Cary Grant to keep me company," she joked and kissed him on the lips before sitting back down on the couch.

Wally put the commlink in his ear and requested transport.

Within seconds the familiar sensation of being torn apart happened and he was on the teleporter pad, facing Mister Terrific.

Mister Terrific rolled his eyes.

"Still haven't gotten the mustard stain out? Is that why you are out of costume?"

"No!" Wally claimed, but his embarrassed face said yes.

"I would get that out as fast as possible," a quiet voice said behind him.

Wally turned to find Question standing on the teleporter pad still in costume, waiting to be transported. Wally stepped off. Sensing that Wally did not understand. Question kept explaining.

"You see the mustard actually hold's tiny nanites which allow the CIA to spy on Americans. Why do you think they heavily promote hot dogs as the most American food? It is a front to get Americans to buy mustard so that when they put it in their shelves that-"

"Ok that's enough from the peanut gallery!" Mister Terrific said after he had typed the coordinates in which teleported Question away before he could continue to explain his latest conspiracy theory.

"Is he at it again?"

Mister Terrific sighed and nodded. "I wish CADMUS was happening again to keep him distracted. Otherwise he thinks the most mundane things are part of 'The Conspiracy.' The other day I had to chase him out of the med bay because he thinks the new laser technology we have for scanning injuries is designed to be a secret weapon."

Wally laughed and zoomed away to the meeting room. He hoped he was not too late. Upon entering the room he found that Shayera and John were the only ones there.

"Wally!" Shayera cried and ran up to hug him.

"Hey Shay!" he beamed.

"Good to see you kid," John said patting Wally on the back.

"I hope I am not interrupting," a soft voice said in the doorway. The group turned around to see Diana standing in the doorway.

"Don't judge me!" Shayera shot back. We don't see much of Wally anymore since he started dating that reporter girl!"

Diana laughed back.

"I know I missed him too."

"How are you Di?" Wally asked as he went to hug Diana.

"Good, good. Just got finished with the talks on the treaty. Hopefully we will finally see some peace."

The doors opened again to reveal the presence of a tall green man.

"J'onn!" Diana shouted and hugged him.

J'onn laughed and hugged her back.

"I usually do not see you anymore! You are always working in the med bay!"

"J'onn smiled softly. "Someone's got to be there to take care of you all."

J'onn's wife had died in a car accident about two years ago. For a while he seemed to be a wreck and had returned to Mars to find solitude. Superman was able to convince him to come back to his friends. Lately J'onn had been working in the med bay so much, not many people saw much of him anymore. The founders all had an impression it was his way to grieve by keeping himself busy as possible. It seemed to work because J'onn always appeared much cheerful lately.

"Sorry I am late, please sit down," said a nervous voice at the doorway.

J'onn's arrival had caused an uproar they had not noticed the Man of Steel himself had entered the room. Unlike the looks on his fellow friends' faces, his was more somber, as if he was about to deliver bad news.

Wordlessly, the five other founders took their seats. What kind of news was it if it made even Superman look scared?

"I am glad you came up here. I really am. I…uh, got something really important to tell you…" he said while running a hand thru his hair nervously.

"What is it Kal?" Diana asked and placed a comforting hand on his free one. That seemed to have calmed him down.

"Well, I wanted to break the news to you guys first because you deserve it and because you are my closest friends…"

"Come Big Blue, spit it out!" Wally cracked.

Superman closed his eyes, took a deep breath and finally dropped the bombshell he was itching to tell them.

"Lois and I are engaged!" he said excitedly.

Immediately it was like an explosion happened. Diana had pulled Superman into a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"That is wonderful Kal! Congratulations!"

Wally meanwhile was buzzing around all excitedly asking a bunch of questions. John was slapping the big man on the back.

Shayera and J'onn were more reserved and quietly said there congratulations. Nonetheless, both were showing the biggest smiles Superman had ever seen.

"When's the date?" asked Wally excitedly. Superman's wedding? That was huge!

"We have not decided one yet..."

"But where are you going to have it?" Wally interrupted, not really caring.

"Well we wanted a private one, so we are going to have it either in the Watchtower or Metro-"

"Wait, we are invited?"

"Of course you are!" Superman asked shock by the question. "Why wouldn't you be?"

Wally shrugged. "I don't know. Can we bring dat-"

"Ok Wally that's enough," said John.

Wally looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I am just excited."

"We all are Wally," J'onn replied.

"I am sorry for bringing you all up here. I just wanted to tell you in person before everyone else found out. I hope it was not too much of a trouble."

"No problem at all Kal. No problem at all. We all enjoy hearing such wonderful news from such good friends."

Superman grinned, but before anyone could say anything, Mister Terrific had called John on the commlink, requesting his assistance on a mission. John looked reluctant to leave the little celebration.

"Well I got to go. You got Rex?" he asked, looking at his wife.

Shayera nodded. "Of course John."

John said goodbye to his friends and left. J'onn then motioned to leave.

"I am sorry to leave so soon, but I need to get back into the med bay. I am instructing the new doctor how to use our laser scanner."

J'onn said his goodbyes and left. Most of them were too euphoric over the good news that they did not notice the slight sigh J'onn had given off as the door shut.

Diana's commlink started ringing. She had connected it to her cell phone so she could contact people at the UN a few months ago. It allowed her to multitask.

She looked at Superman guilty.

"I am sorry I got to take this," she said sheepishly.

"Go ahead."

Diana liked the previous two, had got up to leave. Wally made to follow her.

"Sorry, got to get back to Linda, but tell me more when you get the details."

And in a blur, he was able to zoom out of the room before the door shut, leaving Superman and Shayera alone.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," he said and made to leave as well.

"Wait Superman!" Shayera said while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure," he said and sat back down. He hoped it was not asking to watch Rex again. For being the most powerful man in the world, he was not that adapt at changing a diaper.

As if sensing he knew what he was thinking, Shayera let out a loud snort.

"No, no. I would never ask you to watch Rex again. I would never put you through that torture a second time. I want to talk about something else."

"What is it?" Superman asked a little relieved but still concerned.

Shayera bit her lip. There was no easy way to say this. Here goes nothing.

"Who else is invited to the wedding?"

"You all are. And pretty much everyone in the League. You know we cannot have a public wedding because it would raise too many questions…"

"Yes I am aware, but is there going to be anyone else. Like anyone outside the League? Like any friends who are not in the League right now?"

"If you are worried I am going to bring someone up here other than Lois and compromise everyone's identity, I will not. Other than you guys or Lois, no one knows my Superman identity anyways."

Shayera sighed in frustration. John always did say Superman was sometimes blind to the obvious.

"I am talking more about ex-members, as in ex-members who used to sit in that chair!" she said angry and frustrated while beckoning at a dusty black chair that had been ignored and neglected by the founders the past three years.

Superman finally understood and bowed his head sadly.

"No Shayera I am sorry. It is too late…"

"Bull shit!" she yelled. "He was your best friend!"

"Batman has parted ways with the League and us. He said so himself."

"But that does not mean you should go after him! You know him! Sometimes he is too proud to do the right thing! He needs you to go down there and drag him out! He won't come out of his cave himself!"

"He won't listen to me," Superman said calmly in contrast to Shayera's rising voice.

"Well maybe he will if you showed you were willing to forgive him."

Superman sighed and put his hands over his face.

"I am sorry, Shayera I want to. I really do. I know you of all people know how important it is to have people forgive each other. But is not that simple. We cannot just offer him to come back…"

"You did for me!" Shayera said. "You even voted for me to stay!"

"Yes but that was because you were remorseful for your actions. Bruce however, has not shown he is sorry for anything. As much as it pains me, we cannot afford to have him around. It leads to discord and distrust…"

"Have you even asked if he was sorry? You were all so angry at him, you never gave him a chance to explain himself! Maybe that made you unwilling to listen to an apology anyways!"

Superman got up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Shayera, believe me, I really do want Bruce to come back. But he is beyond our help. Even if we apologized and offered him to join again, he would still not come. He was isolating himself before the incident happened. He has never been the same since he kicked Nightwing out of Gotham."

Like everyone in the League, Superman had no clue what had happened that caused Batman to get rid of the batclan. Batman was too distant and would refuse to say anything when asked about it. Ever since then, Bruce had changed for the worse. It was sad, but Superman knew the League needed to move on. They could not let Batman bring the rest of them down, even though it pained Superman to give up on his friend.

Shayera got up angrily and stormed out.

"Some friend you are, you coward!" she shouted leaving Superman alone to himself.

Superman just stood there immobile.

He had loved Bruce as a friend, like a brother, but in the end, he knew Bruce had probably hated him. Bruce never really trusted him; Bruce always saw him as a dangerous alien or a softie. It was a doomed friendship. Bruce had crossed the threshold, there was no turning back now. Yet Superman still had a trouble accepting it. That was why he refused to add a new member to the founder's table. He still had this insane idea that maybe Bruce would come back and apologize. But it would never happen. Just like he knew he would not go to Gotham and try to convince Bruce to come back; it was hopeless and did not matter. What's done was done.

Composing himself, Superman exited the room and decided to head to the teleporter bay. Luckily he did not meet anyone on the way for a while, which allowed him to regain control of his emotions.

When he was almost to his intended destination though, he thought he heard giggling. Curiosity getting the best of him, he used his x-ray vision and saw Diana was on her commlink, actually giggling, on the other side of the wall. Using his super hearing, he was able to hear her voice as well.

"I know, Tom, I know. I am looking forward to tonight too. It has been a while. I got to go though. Love you," she said and hung up. Immediately she grinned and looked toward the wall Superman was on the other side of.

"I know you are spying on me Kal," she said with a triumphant grin and her hands on her hips.

Guiltily, Superman rounded the corner and in seconds was on the other side with her.

"He sounds like a great man," Superman replied, happy that Diana was finding someone special as well.

"He is," she said. "What did Shayera wanted to talk to you about?"

"Oh nothing. Just advice on where to take John for their anniversary," Superman lied. He hoped Diana did not notice, he was a bad liar.

It was an unofficial rule between the two that neither would ever bring up Bruce again in front of each other. He was their good friend, and they were hurt greatly by his betrayal. Bringing him up was like reopening old wounds.

Deciding he needed to change the subject, Superman spoke again.

"Lois wants to do a double date with us. She wants to meet this 'Tom'" he said with mock disbelief.

Diana chuckled.

"That would be nice. I have not talked to Lois in a while. Do you think you two would be free this weekend?"

Superman shrugged, "I guess I could check. We will figure something out. I got to head back and finish an article for Perry, see you later Diana."

"Goodbye Clark," she said and pulled him in a hug. Soon the two friends went their separate ways and back into their own happy lives.


	3. Graveyard Visits

**Five points to those who guess the mysterious villain of this story's identity. The points do not matter other than a self-esteem boost.**

J'onn walked to the teleporter bays right after the meeting. He needed to go pick something up. Something important that would help relieve him of his sorrows.

He was relieved to find the Monitor Womb was empty except for Holt who as usual looked a little bored on duty.

"Hello Mister Terrific," J'onn said softly.

Holt turned around and noticed the visitor.

"Hey J'onn. What can I do for you?"

Hesitatingly, J'onn walked up to Holt and gave him a piece of paper.

"Can you please send me to these coordinates?"

"Sure!" Mister Terrific replied and began to type them in. Normally the teleporters were not to be used for personal use, but J'onn always had an exception. The Martian was incredibly lonely after all.

"_And I would appreciate it if you kept this off the record,"_ J'onn communicated telepathically to Mister Terrific.

Holt hesitated but nodded. J'onn deserved his privacy.

Pretty soon J'onn found himself outside a small university in New Mexico. Quickly he shape shifted into a human disguise and made his way inside the college. Security in this college was weak due to its small size. Pretty soon J'onn had made his way to one of the laboratories. He found an old eccentric man working on a machine. A very complex machine.

"Hello Professor," J'onn said calmly.

The man jumped, startled.

"Oh hello J'onn! Go-good to see you!" the professor said.

J'onn did not need to be a telepath to know the professor did not want him here.

"What is it? Is everything alright?"

"Of course there is, why?" the professor said guiltily.

"Is the tranconscious articulator not ready yet? I could always come back!"

J'onn had met the professor early on in his sabbatical. The professor and he still kept in touch. After a while, the professor had been interested in Martian technology and had asked J'onn about it. One of the things J'onn surely did miss back on Mars was the tranconscious articulator. A machine that allowed Martians to not only open their minds but also their emotions as well. It was like a dream machine so to speak. It would allow anyone who used it to literally, open themselves up. A very useful device for telepaths because it served sort as a therapeutic tool for them.

Upon hearing the description, the kind professor had decided to build it for his Martian friend. J'onn was first skeptical that it could be done but nonetheless gave him the blueprints to it. Within a year, the brilliant old man had surpassed expectations and was closed to finishing it. J'onn was hopeful. At last he would have something that could calm his restless mind. It really was a burden to be a telepath sometimes.

"Is the machine not ready yet?" J'onn asked a little disappointed. "I can always come back next week."

"No, it is ready like I said. Well it's just um…someone else has bought it," the professor said guiltily, bowing his head in shame.

"Bought it?" J'onn asked trying hard to not show the anger in is voice. Rarely did he get really angry like that. The professor was supposed to build it for him.

"Look I do not know how he heard about it but he offered a large sum of money. I could not say no. You seen how the university is! We are in desperate need of funds. They were going to cut my department!" the professor tried to justify to his friend he had betrayed.

J'onn had morphed back into his Martian disguise. He was very angry at the old man for getting his hopes up like that to just stab him in the back.

"Who did you sell it too?" he threatened.

"Wassup Justice Dweeb!" said a familiar booming voice in the other end of the room.

J'onn turned around in shock and found himself staring at a big man with white skin, grizzly black hair, and red eyes. The infamous bounty hunter Lobo.

"You?" J'onn asked a little surprised. Why would the Czarnian need a complex piece of technology like that?

"Hey don't look at me. I am just the delivery boy. My client for some reason can't come to earth to pick it up, so he sent me to get it!" Lobo said as he marched towards the Martian, not caring that he was breaking a lot of lab equipment along the way.

"You don't even need it," J'onn said angrily. Out of all the people to have this taken from him, it was going to be a common thug.

"Hey the Main Man is a man of his word! My client asked to bring it to him and that is what I am doing! I paid for it fair and square! Feel free to try to outbid me!"

J'onn was tempted to try to fight the bounty hunter and teach him a lesson, but decided against it.

Giving one last angry look at the professor he stormed off.

"Wait-J'onn! I can always make another one!"

But J'onn did not care. He should have known better to get his hopes up. His life was always a sad story.

He had half his mind to punish the professor later but he thought against it. As much as he was angry with the professor for betraying his trust, he could not still but yet feel pity for the old man. The professor was right, his school needed the money. It was on the verge of falling apart.

Being a man of science J'onn understood sometimes one needed to do what he could in order to continue the pursuit for knowledge. He probably would have done the same thing in the professor's shoes. Sighing sadly, J'onn was about to call for a teleporter but Lobo had appeared, knocking down the door.

"Yo Green Guy! I am sorry you did not get it but you gotta know! It's not personal, it's just business!"

J'onn gave him an apathetic look and turned to call for teleportation.

"I tell ya what! I will make it up to ya! Here's my card! When you guys need me call me! I will work for half price!" Lobo said before forcibly placing a card in J'onn's hand.

J'onn glared angrily and called for transport. Like the League would call for his help.

After the Martian disappeared, Lobo shrugged and headed back to the lab to pick up his package.

"Ya try being nice to people and this is the thanks ya get!"

00000

Lobo zoomed on his Space Hog to the Verdunian galaxy. The complex machine was strapped precariously on it. Finally he had reached his destination at a local diner on the Moon of Paz.

Parking the Hog not to gently he got off to meet his client. A shifty looking blue man.

"Here ya go!" Lobo said and with ease picked up the machine with one hand and slammed it next to his client.

The blue creature hissed in pain upon hearing the big impact the machine had made.

"Careful!"

Lobo ignored him and stuck out his hand.

The blue man placed a giant red stone in the Czarnian's hand and greedily went up to the device.

"Why do you need a device like that?" Lobo asked curiously.

"Mine you own business!" the seedy creature shot out.

Lobo shrugged and made his way to the Space Hog. His job was done.

"At last I will have my revenge!" the blue man muttered to himself.

Lobo was starting to rev up the bike when he noticed something. His client was wearing custom made boots. Boots made out of space dolphin skin, an endangered animal the bounty hunter was very fond of. Immediately Lobo's blood began to boil.

"Ya know Space Dolphins are endangered?" Lobo asked angrily.

The blue man ignored the bounty hunter's obvious sign of rage and shrugged his shoulders.

"So?"

In a matter of seconds, the blue man was grabbed by his feet and hung upside down in the air.

"What are you doing? We had a deal!"

"The deal was I bring the tranconscious majingy to you! Not let you keep it!" Lobo replied angrily and with his chain wrapped the blue man around his Space Hog.

"Take him for a spin!" Lobo yelled and slapped the Hog on the rear which immediately sped off in the air with the blue man screaming in protest.

Lobo walked over to the machine. His ex-client did not deserve to have it for being a butcher of Space Dolphins. Lobo was many things, but he drew the line at Space Dolphins. Anyone who would slaughter those cute cuddly creatures deserved to pay.

As a bonus now, he got a cool machine he had no idea how to use. Maybe he could fence it for more money. He had to wait to his Hog would come back though.

He could still hear his ex-client scream in horror as he slowly began to slip from the chains on the Hog and fall to his doom.

00000

Thousands of galaxies away, it was about 10:00 in the evening on the eastern seaboard. The Gotham police were all surrounding the new Arkham Asylum. The current commissioner was examining the broken walls angrily while smoking a cigar.

"What a way to spend tax payer money," Bullock bemoaned angrily. "Tear the old one down and build a state of the art prison for these freaks and yet they still find a way to break out."

"They were helped," said a baritone voice behind him.

Bullock sighed and turned around to find himself facing Batman.

"Wondering when you would show up," Bullock muttered.

Batman ignored him and began to examine the hole in the wall.

"How many are unaccounted for?" he asked.

Bullock wanted to complain that Batman was not running the case but decided it was not worth it. When it came to the Arkham Asylum roster, that was Batman's specialty. The GCPD needed him on this.

"Only three. Croc and the Sazusky twins."

The Sazusky twins were two Slavic giants who were notorious hitmen for the mob. Not only were they known for their gigantic stature but also their very brutal and sadistic style of killing their victims. And Croc was no average criminal either. Someone wanted these brutal monsters out.

Batman began to examine a rock and began to type something on a small palm pilot.

"The cameras went out, just so you know!" Bullock explained.

Batman ignored him and after he seemed to have got the information he needed dropped the rock and turned around.

"It's Bane," he said nonchalantly.

"What?" Bullock asked. Bane was bad news all around. Plus this was not the first time he had broken people out of Arkham.

"I had a feeling he was behind the riot a few weeks ago. It probably was an attempt to break some of them out."

"So what, he's doing that again? Breaking Arkham inmates out?"

Batman shook his head. "This is different. Last time he did that he wanted to break them all out to cause chaos. No, he targeted only three cells for a reason."

"Wait you think he only wanted to break out Croc and the Sazusky brothers?"

Batman did not confirm or deny but began to walk away.

"This is unusual, Bane prefers to work alone. He probably needs them for a job."

"A job? You mean like heist or something?" Bullock asked.

Batman did not say anything and just stood in silence, back turned toward Bullock.

The Commissioner heard his radio buzzed. While he fumbled to answer it he turned around to demand more answers from Batman only to find once again, the caped crusader had left him alone in the night.

"I am going to put a bullet in your head one of these days!" Bullock threatened the empty air.

Batman faintly heard Bullock's angry threat but did not care. He had more important things to worry about right now. It was almost 10:30.

Finding his batmobile, he sped off to his intended destination. Gotham Cemetery.

Within ten minutes he was there. Good he made just in time.

Today was the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Ever since he became Batman, he started a tradition he would lay two roses on his parents' grave at the time of their deaths on the day of the anniversary.

He parked the batmobile in the shadows and exited out carrying three roses. Alfred was buried by his parents' grave as well.

The cemetery was closed around this time so he did not need to worry about anyone coming across Batman visiting the Waynes' grave.

Batman made his way silently to their graves and checked the time.

Sighing sadly he had passed by Andrea's mother grave, trying to ignore all the memories he had with Andrea before he became Batman.

Finally he had reached his destination. Slowly he got onto to his knees and placed the two roses on the Wayne headstone while placing the third one on the smaller headstone to the left. Alfred deserved to be remembered as well for everything he had done.

Absentmindedly Batman began to trace the name Wayne with his finger. A single tear was strolling down his cheek. He could barely even remember what their voices sounded like. He used to imagine how they would be if they were alive when he was little but those days long passed. They were just a memory to him now. A memory that constantly haunted him.

More tears began to stream down his face.

"I am sorry, for everything! I tried but I failed! I thought I could end crime in Gotham, but I was a fool! My vow failed!"

He continued to cry.

"I failed you. Both of you!"

He then went to Alfred's grave.

"I am sorry for everything Alfred! You were all I had and I took you for granted. I pushed everyone away and now that you are gone, I have finally realized I am all alone! You were right! I was just too stubborn to realize!"

Batman continued to sob for a while but finally he managed to regain his composure. He still had a job to do.

Placing a hand gently on his parents' head stone, he whispered farewell and made his way back to the batmobile.

Unfortunately someone was sitting on it, making sure she was giving him an ample view of the tight leather on her body.

"What do you want Selina?" he hissed angrily. He came here for privacy.

"Why Bruce, I came to comfort you. I know you always get depressed around this time of the year. I thought you could use a friend."

Catwoman went up and began to gently caress his jaw.

"Get out before I-"

"What? Cuff me to the gate again? Are you still mad about the museum heist?"

Batman grabbed her hand tightly and threateningly.

"Get…out…" he whispered with much hate.

Selina however smirked and took off her mask to show her brilliant green eyes.

"You are not getting rid of me that easy," she said and she took off the cowl from his face to look at his cold blue eyes.

Bruce did not stop her but continued to stare at her coldly.

"You look so cold, perhaps I can help."

She began to kiss his neck gently. An inescapable moan came out of him. Damn his body for betraying him like that.

Selina smirked in satisfaction.

"I knew I could get you to move," she said and pulled him into a frenzy kiss.

Bruce responded with just as much passion. He was depressed and vulnerable right now and needed an outlet. He knew it would mean nothing and it would be just their usual trysts. By tomorrow he and she would resume the endless chase again and he would head back alone. But he needed some sort of contact tonight. Just one night.

As much as it pained his pride, he needed this right now.

The two continued to kiss on the batmobile. Pretty soon they had made their way back inside and Bruce had hit the autopilot button. The vehicle was going to take them back to the manor.

As the batmobile sped away the mysterious figure with the blue hood emerged behind a tree and saw the batmobile fade away in the darkness.

"Very powerful emotions!" the man croaked with an exaggerated sniff.

"So strong, but not strong enough. Do not worry my Dark Knight, I will be there when you release your heart of darkness," the man said cryptically before disappearing in the shadows again.


	4. Revenge

Bruce woke up in his bed to find Selina on top of him.

Sighing sadly he made to gently push her off but then she began to stir.

"Good morning," she said groggily.

Bruce grinned at her. She then proceeded to kiss his body and make her way down. Bruce tired to move but his body was forcing him to stay. His entire nerves were tingling at her touch.

He was about to moan when he saw something on her wrist. It was a bracelet that if Bruce did not know any better, it looked like the Ancient Egyptian bracelet that was just put on display in the Gotham museum two days ago.

Immediately his hand grabbed the wrist not too gently.

Selina yelped in pain.

"Easy Bruce, tone it down a little!"

"What," he said threateningly and got out of bed, still gripping her wrist. "Is this?"

Selina immediately knew there was no point in pretending to be dumb and just glared back.

"O do not act like you care all of a sudden! You seemed to not have a problem last night!"

Bruce glared at her and looked at her with disgust.

"I trusted you Selina," he said with the utmost disdain.

Selina hissed at him.

"Do not play that card on me Bruce. We both know you are just using this as an excuse to kick me out again. You perfectly knew well who I am and what I do!"

Bruce leaned in threateningly close to her.

"I thought I could change you Selina. I thought I could. But you are beyond saving. Get out before I-"

But he never finished his threat because Selina had suddenly sprung up and delivered a powerful kick at him, sending him flying across the room.

"You are a bastard! I never stole anything! I got this because it looked like the one in the museum! I was trying to test you to see if you give me the benefit of the doubt. But no, you immediately assume I must have stolen it and only came to you for a booty call!"

Bruce was a little dumbfounded but resumed his glare. Selina however was undeterred.

"You don't believe me? Call the museum. They will prove it is still there!"

Bruce's glare softened a little but still he was not done yet.

"Why are you doing this?"

Selina softened her angry glare and walked up to Bruce and in a surprising move of gentleness sat next to him and began to stroke the scars on his chest.

"Because I thought maybe you were right. Maybe we could be together after all. That we would end this game of cat and mouse. I was willing to change to be with you. But I was not sure if you would change Bruce. You just prove you can't. You never will fully trust me Bruce. It is not whether I deserve it or not. I just know it will never work out."

Bruce wanted to say no and tell her to stay. He needed her. Hell he probably would be lost forever without her. But in his heart he knew it was true. He could never trust her and because of that he knew they would never last long term.

He did not say anything but just gave her a sad stare. The lack of response was all the confirmation Selina needed. Sighing she got up and got dressed. She pulled out a phone and called for a cab to pick her up outside of the manor.

For a while the two just stared at each other in a dead silence. Both wanted to say more but they could not. The truth had been set free. They were over for good. After what seemed like ages, Selina checked her watch and made to leave.

"My cab should be getting here. I am sorry Bruce I go to go," she said, fighting back tears.

She made to leave. She was out the door when she heard his voice.

"Selina…please…" he whispered. He did not want her to leave him. Not her too. If she left, he would officially have no one.

Selina walked back in and gave him a look of pity.

"I am sorry Bruce, but I have to do what is best for me as well. Just please try to be happy for once. I fear you are going to die alone."

That prediction had hit him like an anvil. The whole world appeared to have shut off to him at the moment. He was not even sure is he was conscious anymore. He was not even aware that Selina had left again. Nor did he hear the front door slam, signaling her departure. For what seemed like years, he just sat on the floor of his room staring blankly into space.

What she said was true. She knew him better than most. Not only could he ever fully trust her, he would end up dying alone. He saw that old man in the future with an apprentice but the time stream was corrupted.

He knew he would die alone. There would be no successor. Batman would die with him. It was a cruel fate, but it was the fate he chose. Nothing could change it now.

Sighing with resignation he got and made his way out of his room to head to the batcave to look over some files. He was going to need the distraction.

00000

Mister Terrific stood dumbfounded at the screen before him. Question and Arrow were next to him as well. There had been a bunch of bank robberies in America the past month. They all had the same story though. The camera feed would go dead for two hours and it would turn back on. The problem was none of the guards who were monitoring the feed remembering it going off.

At first this was not brought to the League's attention until one of the banks that Arrow owned as Oliver Queen experienced a similar fate. With the help of the Question he had realized it was happening to a lot of banks across the country. What was going on here?

They decided to enlist Mister Terrific's help since he was the smartest man in the Justice League.

"So what you think?" Green Arrow asked. "Even Q could not find a pattern here."

"That is the usual style of the Illuminati. They do not work in patterns because it allows people to find the trail easier," Question explained.

Arrow looked at his friend. "Somehow I doubt this has the Illuminati involved."

Mister Terrific was ignoring the two bicker about the Illuminati. Arrow was right though. There seemed to be no pattern at all. These banks were struck at random. Not much was stolen either from each bank. It was about 200 grand stolen with each heist. But based on the reported amount of heists so far, that added up to about over 10 million right now.

"Each heist seems to show no forced sign of entry and all the guards appear to be telling the truth that they do not remember at all."

"Do you think it could be mind control?" asked Arrow curiously.

"Could be. I will call J'onn and see if he can question the guards and look into their minds. For the time being though, I will try to see if I can pick up a money trail."

"Who do you think is behind it?" asked Green Arrow.

Mister Terrific shrugged, "Who knows. Our latest intelligence suggests the current Legion has no members who have mind control abilities. For all we know this could be the job of one rogue meta."

Question coughed to get their attention.

"I hate to leave, but I promised Helena to take her out to lunch, so I have to go."

Green Arrow nodded, "Same. Dinah and I are supposed to look at a new place together."

Mister Terrific nodded. "Go ahead guys. I will update you when J'onn and I learn more about this."

Within a minute, Mister Terrific had teleported the two vigilantes to their respected to places, leaving him alone to analyze the screen.

It was times like these he wished Batman was still around. The man could find a connection in anything.

00000

"Why are we here?" bemoaned Kalibak. He was a god and did not want to be with these low lives. They were in Bludhaven, hiding out in an abandoned subway tunnel.

"You got me. I was taking a nap in my cell and next thing ya know, Bane's knocking down my door!" Killer Croc complained.

The Sazusky brothers were not taking part of the conversation at all but were sitting quietly in the corner.

Metallo and Deadshot meanwhile were glaring at each other.

"I thought you were dead," Deadshot said with indifference.

Metallo shook his head.

"The Justice League will never let a prisoner die on them."

The sound of someone big coming through ceased the chatter.

Bane walked in on his new gang he had assembled. His mere presence was enough to even get the New God Kalibak to shut up.

"Gentlemen," he said with his South American accent. "I am so glad you are all here."

"Why are we here?" Deadshot asked curiously. "I was promised a lot of payment."

Many of the supervillains nodded their heads in agreement.

"Oh you will be paid, but my employer can offer you much more."

"And what is that?" asked Metallo curiously.

"Revenge," Bane whispered.

Deadshot had chuckled sarcastically.

"Good one Bane. Good one. I get it. We are the newest organization to go after the Justice League. What are we going to call ourselves this time? The Union of Evil?"

Bane however remained calm.

"I am not talking about the Justice League. I am talking about just one man. Together, we can finally humiliate this man and have him pay for everything he has done to us."

"Superman? Good luck with that. He has the League to back him up!" Metallo retorted. "Besides I thought your Gothamites' quarrel was with Batman."

"Yes, he is our target," Bane explained.

For a while Metallo stood confused. Why was he here if they were going after Batman?

"Well you have to understand Bane; I could care less with Batman."

"I am with him," Kalibak replied arrogantly. "My time should not be wasted going against a pitiful mortal."

"A pitiful mortal who defeated you into hand to hand combat?" Bane replied causing Kalibak to grow angry in embarrassment.

"For those in Gotham, we have every reason to want to beat Batman. But for you two," Bane said beckoning to Metallo and Kalibak. "Batman has hurt you just as much as the Justice League. Think about it. Who was responsible for most of the strategies that the Justice League used to defeat you? Who saved Superman, your sworn enemy, multiple times? You have as much quarrel with him as we do."

Metallo paused to think. Bane had a point. Superman may have been his main enemy, but Batman had also been hurting his plans as well.

"And even if you do not want it for revenge, my employer is still willing to pay a lot of money for it."

"But you got one problem," Deadshot pointed out raising his hand. "The Justice League will protect him."

Bane laughed.

"You all know so little. Batman has left the Justice League. He is all alone right now. When we strike, he will have no back up."

"What do you have in mind?" spoke up Croc. He was interested now.

"You will see," Bane replied menacingly and left to let the people he recruited have time to think about his offer. He proceeded to pace around in another tunnel to reflect.

About a month ago he was approached by a mysterious man in a blue hood. The man had learned Bane's desire to break Batman and was willing to pay Bane for finishing the job. The mysterious hooded man apparently had as much grudge against Batman as Bane did. However the employer wanted Bane to recruit more people for the job.

At first Bane was reluctant because his pride usually preferred him to face Batman off alone, but the money offered helped a little. His employer was specific that he could only recruit sadistic people who could physically outmatch Batman. That was why Bane only broke a few out of Arkham. Not many of Batman's rogues were capable of beating Batman physically other than Croc and the Sazusky brothers. He then decided to recruit Deadshot as well because the man had come close to killing Batman himself and deserved to be on the roster. Bane would have to make sure that Deadshot would not kill Batman. Not at least until his spirit was broken.

As for Kalibak and Metallo, Bane knew extra muscle would not hurt. Besides they would be easy to convince to join their crusade. They could easily direct their hatred of Superman at Batman.

Bane smiled to himself. At last he would break the Bat. He would make sure he would have the honor of killing Batman after they humiliated and broke him down in public.

However, Bane had not realized his employer was nearby in the abandoned tunnels silently observing him. The man in the blue hood could sense Bane's rage towards Batman as well as his desire to kill the Dark Knight.

"I am sorry Bane, but that honor will be reserved for Doctor Destiny," the man whispered cryptically before he disappeared in the darkness.


	5. Dying Alone

Barbara stood next to the commissioner as the priest read from the Scripture. They already had done her father's public funeral, now it was the private one. Other than immediate family and a few members of the GCPD, including Commissioner Bullock, it was a rather small attendance.

She had a feeling that this was what her father would have liked. Not an over the top funeral with a bunch of people who did not even know him "sharing" so-called memories they had with him. Just a small gathering among all his friends and family to say goodbye.

Well at least most of his friends.

As if reading her mind, she saw a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. Standing next to a tree in the cemetery in the distance was a man in a black suit and sunglasses. Even though he was far away, Barbara immediately knew who it was by the body language.

She gave a small smile. Bruce decided to show up after all.

Within a few more minutes, the ceremony was over and her father was being put at rest. Her mother began to sob some more but she was comforted by Bullock who began to lead her away. All the other guests soon started making their way out of the cemetery as well. Barbara however took a different route from the group and headed toward the tree in the distance.

When she had gotten close enough to Bruce to talk to him, he still gave no acknowledgement of her presence. He was not going to run away from her at least.

"Hello Bruce," she said softly.

Bruce nodded slightly and muttered "Barbara."

At least he was talking to her, sort of.

When Bruce kicked her out of the batclan and took away her costume she was furious at him. First she was mad because she had become Batgirl without his approval and did not like the idea of him making the decisions in her life. She was an adult after all.

Secondly she wanted to be there to help Tim heal but he brushed her off and Dick as well. They wanted to help and yet he refused. Did he not forget she was there when that tragedy had unfolded? She was traumatized just as much and she did not go out of her way to push everyone away.

But the last reason she was mad at him was because he broke her heart. After her and Dick broke up she had this dream that she and Bruce would live happy together. That maybe she would finally be the woman to reach his heart, not Selina or Talia. She was too blind to realize she was playing with fire. He was more of a mentor than the lover she deserved to her.

But that was the past now. After a little over a year after the tragedy with Tim, Barbara realized it was not worth to still be bitter and decided to just let everything go. Besides it was around the time her father had gotten sick and he needed her. She also kept in touch with Tim after he moved out of the manor. She was tempted to try to reconcile Tim with Bruce but she thought better of it. Bruce would only reconcile with Tim on his own accord.

But still, in the past two years she had kept in touch with Bruce, albeit sparingly. She would occasionally call him to ask how things were and she did attend Alfred's funeral. But other than that, she had not really seen him in person in awhile. He appeared to have aged by a decade the last time she saw him.

Barbara finally realized while she was thinking to herself that neither she nor Bruce were speaking which was causing a painful silence. Clearing her throat, she attempted to continue talking to him.

"I'm so glad you came. He would've wanted you to."

"Was the least I could do. He did everything for me," Bruce said sadly while staring off into the horizon.

"How are you and Harvey getting along?"

Bruce said nothing but continued staring. That was all the answer she needed.

"You know you could make more of an effort with him. He isn't like my dad but still, he wants to help."

Still no answer from Bruce. She did not expect one. He would never admit he needed help.

For a second she thought their little reunion was over but then by some miracle Bruce spoke finally.

"How's Steve?"

"You mean Sam? He is good. He just passed the bar exam. We've been talking about getting married maybe next year," she said. It did seem a little awkward to be talking to Bruce about her current boyfriend but at least they were having a semblance of a conversation.

"That's good," Bruce said nonchalantly.

Barbara sighed sadly. Bruce was never good at tender moments even when he tried. He really was emotionally stunted sometimes.

"Look Bruce, I can't stay long. My mother is going to realize I am not in the car with her soon. I got to go. Just be careful," she said and turned to leave but found a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Unsure, she turned to look at him. Even though he had sunglasses on, Barbara could sense his eyes must have been pleading with her to stay.

"Take care, Barbara," he said softly.

Smiling, Barbara stood up on to her toes and laid a gentle kiss on his cheek. She came in slow so she saw no reaction of surprise from Bruce.

"Take care, Bruce. Just promise me one thing."

Bruce cocked a questioning eyebrow. For the second time, Barbara stood on her toes so she was closer to his height level. She whispered in his ear. She knew he probably would not listen to her advice but it was worth a shot.

"Please try to find someone to make you happy. You don't deserve to end up alone."

That stunned Bruce momentarily. He had stiffened at that remark. Barbara sighed and said her farewells before making her way back to her mother' car.

As much as she wished Bruce well, she had a feeling it was a foolish dream. Despite doing everything that he had done, she knew Bruce would probably never receive the happiness he so justly deserved.

Meanwhile Bruce was still at the tree, scanning the horizon again. This time though he was mulling over what Barbara had said to him.

It seemed everyone close to his life was drifting apart. And most of them would give the same prediction:

He was going to die alone.

Barbara was just one of the many who said that threat to him. Selina said it before she left him a few days ago. Dick as well said that on the last fight they had. And there was that fateful day when he quit the League before he was voted out.

That memory still haunted him. He remembered she yelled at him and he yelled back as he made his way to the javelin bay. If it was not for Clark holding her back she probably would have tore him limb to limb but he did not care.

He was angry at her like the rest of the League. Yet when she uttered that last sentence he ever heard her say to him, the anger went away. He did not expect it to sting so much. Why did it hurt so much to hear such a foreboding prediction from her?

A sudden pick up of the breeze brought him out of his reverie. He had been standing there for who knows how long. Gordon's grave was already filled and plotted.

Sighing, Bruce made his way to Gordon's headstone and gently placed a rose on the freshly planted ground. If there was any man who deserved to be remembered forever it was Gordon.

Gordon was the better man than he could ever hope to be. Gordon was able to fight crime while still allowing people into his life. He did not hurt those he loved.

"Rest in peace Jim," Bruce sighed sadly and turned to leave. He would need to be ready for patrol in a few hours.

000000

"So where are we going tonight exactly?" asked Tom as he sat on the bed while scrolling his lap top. He was looking to download some new songs.

"I do not know other than its here in DC," Diana said as he was drying her hair. She and Tom would be going on a double date with Clark and Lois in a few hours. Lois and Clark were officially supposed to be covering some political event for the Planet. Sensing opportunity, Clark decided to invite Diana and Tom on a date with him and Lois. Diana and Lois always got along well and Lois was excited to meet Tom.

"Well I hope it's not Italian. King loves to order take out Italian whenever we are in the office," muttered Tom as he continued scrolling for some songs to buy.

"Well you get no say in this," she teased and went up to him and kissed him.

Tom smiled at that remark and kissed back.

"I would not have it any other way."

Diana smiled and went back into the bathroom. She really liked Tom.

He was like her; driven, committed, and intelligent. She was amazed Tom had already deduced Superman's identity after he by chance had met "Clark Kent" while he interviewed Diana for the Planet.

Diana was worried Tom would spill the beans to the government but he did not. He respected Superman and felt he deserved to have his private life kept secret. That did make this date so much easier. The two couples could talk without having to worry about secret identities.

For once they could be real people, not superheroes.

"Hey Di!" she heard him call in the other room.

"Yes Tom?"

"What do you think of this song? It's by Ricky what's- his-face?"

"You got to be a little more specific than that!" she joked.

In response Tom had hit the play button.

Diana immediately recognized the song. She had forgotten about it. It was a lifetime ago. She remembered Zatanna showing her the tape she had of a certain vigilante singing in public and in costume. For her, Diana. No one else but her.

She had stiffened upon hearing that song. Why did the fates have to mock her right now? She had moved on from him. She was over him. They just had flirted a couple times, that was it.

But those latent desires that had been dormant so long had started to pick up again. Not now. Not when she finally was happy with Tom...

Thankfully the preview was only thirty seconds long so as soon as it had come, it was over.

"Ugh," Tom muttered. "Too slow and sappy for me. What do you think?"

Diana did not hear him at first. She was still trying to push back those old memories away before they brought her more pain.

"What?" she asked upon realizing Tom was talking to her.

"What did you think of the song? I don't like it, not my taste."

"Same," she muttered. She did not want to be thinking about the past anymore.

After Batman had left the League she was angry and hurt for a while, but she soon got over it. She realized she did not need Batman. None of the League did. If he wanted to be paranoid and distrustful, he could do it in Gotham.

It was not that she wished him ill necessary, she just did not want anything to do with him anymore. He had brought it on himself. He pushed her, Clark, and the rest away. The bridge had been burned. There was no coming back.

And now Tom had brought up a bunch of memories she had tried her best to forget. She knew he did not mean to though. She should not be mad at him for that.

Thankfully Tom was now listening to a country song and that distracted her for a while. Pretty soon she and Tom were talking about something else, and her little flashback was soon forgotten.

000000

"Alright so you know the code if you need to do an emergency teleport is-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it Holt! I've done it a million times with you!" shot back Booster Gold. He had volunteered to monitor the teleporters as Holt and J'onn went back on earth to investigate a case. Normally when Holt was not on Monitor Duty, they would either have someone else who knew how to operate the teleporters and if they did not, they would just use the javelins.

Booster Gold may have not officially been certified to use the teleporter, but no one else was available so Holt decided to trust him. He was from the future after all.

"Alright, J'onn and I should not take too long. If anything above a Code Three Emergency happens, you call me, got it?"

"Yea sure whatever."

Holt shook his head and got on the teleporter pads. In a flash of light he was gone.

"Don't worry earth, Booster Gold is watching over you," Booster Gold said as he began to channel surf through the monitors.

Within two hours, Booster Gold's short attention span was beyond saving. The earth was really quiet today. For once, there seemed to be no immediate disasters.

Booster had started daydreaming. How he wished the League would take him seriously. He busted his butt every day and they still treated him second rate. Sure he was a little more about self-promoting his image than other heroes but there was nothing wrong with that!

He began to imagine himself as leading the League. One day the world would not look to Superman or Green Lantern but to him. Everyone would cheer at his name. They would start making statues of him and all the ladies would love him. He started fantasizing the idea of female leaguers like Wonder Woman or Black Canary fawning over him even though he knew they would kill him if they ever found out about those fantasies.

Unbeknownst to Booster Gold, Doctor Destiny had been behind him for a while.

"Desire," Doctor Destiny grinned. "That should be enough to make me tangible for a while."

Before Gold could react, he immediately felt a sudden drowsiness overcome him and within seconds had collapsed. He was snoring loudly.

Doctor Destiny walked up to the sleeping man. He was tempted to play with his mind. See what dreams this odd hero would have. Maybe even trap him in his nightmare. But he knew he did not have much time.

Raising his hand, a powerful glowing orange blast shot out of it and hit the teleporter panel. The entire panel began to fry as the monitors began to crack. Glass began to fly everywhere as electricity sizzled randomly over everything. And Booster Gold was still knocked out cold.

Sensing he had done enough damage, Doctor Destiny turned to face the camera. With a grin he shot another Orange blast and the camera was destroyed. He knew he did not have much time. Someone would have heard the noise.

"That should halt them for a few hours, and by the time it happens, I will have my revenge," Doctor Destiny said gleefully before slowly disappearing from view.


	6. Batman's Last Stand

Bruce sat in the kitchen and ate the small meal he prepared for himself. He of course was no Alfred when it came to cooking but he got by. It took him awhile to learn how to cook his own meals but he got the hang of it.

The sun would be setting in an hour. But he would not be patrolling in Gotham tonight. He was heading to Metropolis.

The night before the funeral of Gordon, a threat was sent to the GCPD. The letter threatened the mayor would be killed tonight.

Bruce was not too surprised. Mayor Saunders had butted heads with many mobs when he was the state attorney general. It was probably an empty threat. But still the GCPD was not taking any chances so last night, the mayor and his family were taken out of Gotham for protection for the next few nights. Therefore the mayor was unable to give his planned speech at Gordon's public funeral.

Bruce knew Gordon did not care but still, the mayor should have shown some backbone. It was not so much the threat that interested Bruce but the material it was on. After "borrowing" a sample of the paper last night, he brought it to the batcave to analyze it.

It came up with some surprising results. According to the computer in the batcave, the paper was an experimental type of paper. It was supposed to be environmentally friendly because it would not require as much pollution to make it. However the company that attempted to start this experiment had closed down last year.

They only had one office building before they declared bankruptcy which was in the outskirts of Metropolis.

Now that was interesting. What would the Gotham mayor have anything to do with Metropolis? Bruce suspected maybe Intergang involvement. They had been under the radar for a while. It could be a complete coincidence. The writer of the death threat may have acquired the paper through second hand means and had nothing to do with the factory.

But still it was worth to take a look. He would not be violating the agreement with the League. It was Gotham business after all and thus his jurisdiction. He would have to be quick though, he did not want to run into Superman while conducting a reconnaissance.

Sighing Bruce finished his dinner and made his way to the cave to change. If he departed in the batplane soon, he would be able to reach Metropolis a few hours before midnight.

0000000

Clark Kent looked at the mirror, adjusting his glasses.

"I still can't believe you thought that would fool me," Lois joked as she started putting on a dark shade of lipstick.

Clark smirked. When he revealed his secret identity to her, he was shocked to learn that Lois had already known for a long time. He did feel a little stupid about himself for a while.

"The Speaker of the House is going to be at the convention tomorrow. We might be able to get an interview with him afterward," Clark replied as he smoothed out his hair.

"I personally can't stand D.C. It seems like you got a lot of people waiting to stab you in the back."

"Sounds like the Planet," Clark joked. He then walked up and gently kissed his fiancé on the cheek.

Lois smiled. She was a lucky woman to have him. He was the sweetest man a girl could hope for. But she knew he had his faults. He was being a coward right now.

"So did you break the news to the founders?"

"Yes they were all excited!"

"Really?" Lois asked with a little disbelief.

"Why wouldn't they be?" asked Clark not catching the message she was trying to get across.

"Not that. I mean did you really tell _all_ the founders?"

"Yeah I got them in the meeting room together…"

Lois stood up and groaned. Clark could be sarcastic and witty, but he was never that well with detecting subtlety.

"I mean all six of them!"

Clark took a step back and stood silent for a minute. Now he understood.

"Lois we been through this before, Bruce has left-"

"No you kicked him out!"

She was not too happy how Clark had not talked to Bruce in years. She understood why the League saw fit to kick Batman out due to trust issues, but to completely leave his best friend alone? That was cruel.

"He left on his own accord. I told you he wants nothing to do with us anymore…"

"That's because you have made no effort!"

Clark sighed. If only she knew.

He actually tried to call Bruce the other day after Shayera's confrontation but backed out. He really did miss Bruce but he knew it was over. Bruce had been determined to work alone now. Clark knew if he tried it would be hopeless. The only person Bruce would ever listen to would be himself. Not Superman. He could not take Bruce's ill treatment anymore.

"I miss him too Lois," he lowered his voice and whispered softly. Lois could see the overwhelming sadness in his eyes.

"He was my friend and I loved him like a brother, but he is gone now. He is not the man he used to be. He does not want anything to do with me."

"That is not true Clark. He respected you and you know it!"

"Then why did he not come to my funeral? Even Lex Luthor did!"

Lois stopped there. She remembered there was much gossip how Batman was not in the audience that day. But then she found a response.

"But you once told me the League said he took your death really hard!"

Clark nodded.

"They all did say that when I came back and for a while I believed them. But now I am not so sure. They might have been saying that to be nice. Bruce did not even greet me when I returned; his response was 'I never believed you died!' What kind of friend does that?"

Lois sighed. Bruce could be a royal ass sometimes.

"That's Bruce for you Clark. He hates tender moments."

Clark shook his head.

"And that is exactly why I didn't tell him about our engagement. He's abused us for the last time. He has to learn sooner or later on his own he can't always be a jerk to everyone."

Lois wanted to yell at her fiancé and tell him that Bruce would make more effort if the founders showed it as well but gave up. They had a dinner to go to.

"We are going to be late," she said with much coldness and went back into the bathroom to finish her makeup. They would talk more about this later.

Clark sighed and resumed fixing his hair. He knew he would be having this discussion again soon. If only she understood really how much he missed Bruce and wish things were different.

But she would probably never understand. She never worked with Bruce. She was never stabbed in the back by him.

000000

Batman sat on the rooftop scanning the abandoned building.

Even though Metropolis was known for its bright lights at night, the building itself was pretty dark and abandoned. A gaping black hole.

Deciding he was not getting much information from just watching through goggles, he got out his grapple gun, ready to swing over.

He swung over the barricade and landed in the yard without making a sound. The building was under construction but for some reasons plans had been temporarily halted the past month leaving the building only half demolished.

Blending into the shadows, he slowly crept his way to the front entrance. He extended his hand out to open the door…

BANG

A bullet had whizzed by and almost hit his hand. Luckily he had heard the whistling projectile just in time to jerk his hand back and avoid the bullet by inches.

He immediately tossed a battarang in the direction he was shot at while he got another one ready.

"You missed, but I should talk," said a calm voice.

Batman recognized that voice immediately. Deadshot. He wasted no time and threw the next battarang from where he heard the voice. It was never good to allow Deadshot have time to aim again.

This time the battarang hit his target and a yelp of pain was heard.

Batman immediately jumped toward the source and grabbed Deadshot who was clutching his left hand in pain.

"What was that for? You're trespassing!" Deadshot said defiantly.

Batman ignored the smart ass remark.

"What are you doing here?"

"Like I'm going to tell you!"

"Do you want to try me again?" Batman threatened with a hiss.

Deadshot stiffened for a second.

"Alright I'll talk."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm with them," Deadshot said beckoning his head to the side.

Before Batman could react he was knocked off his feet by something very strong. Something mechanical.

Batman looked up to see Metallo standing there as Deadshot stood up and brushed himself off.

"I thought you worked in Gotham," snarled Metallo.

Batman was curious to why Deadshot and Metallo were working together but decided he would worry about it later. He had a cyborg and a world class assassin to deal with at the moment.

Batman quickly threw a smoke bomb to blind both rogues and attempt to make his way to attack them while they were stunned, but he was only half way there when he was knocked off his feet again by another source of brute force.

"That's for father!" an arrogant voice cried as Batman had been flung against the half demolished walls. His momentum had been powerful enough to break through.

Batman sat stun in the rubble. What was Kalibak doing here as well? This was bad. It was a trap and he fell for it. He needed to get out fast and regroup. He was a sitting duck

Immediately a light turned on. Batman found Killer Croc inside the building not too far away snapping his jaws in anticipation.

Springing to his feet, he made to grab his grapple.

"I wouldn't do that Batman," a thick Southern American accent said.

Batman looked up to see the criminal standing on an upper level of the building overlooking him. He should have known it was him.

"Bane," he glared as he got to his feet. "Should have known you would be behind this."

"I 'm honored that you have not thought less of me," Bane said with mock gratitude. "I knew you would figure out where we were hiding. But I wouldn't leave if I were you for their sakes."

_Their?_

Batman then noticed on another level stood the two Sazusky brothers. They were armed with rifles, pointing at something squirming. It did not take long for Batman to recognize the hostages were the Gotham mayor, his wife, and two kids. What the hell were they doing here?

"I wasn't lying when I said the mayor would die tonight Senor Batman; after he and his family watch us break you for the whole world to see, I will kill him!" Bane threatened and jumped down onto the ground.

It shook slightly under his weight

"Don't worry though Batman," Bane said as he began to walk toward him. "We are going to allow you to fight back. It makes killing you more enjoyable."

Batman stood stiff as the onslaught of villains surrounded and made their way towards him.

He always thought he would go down like this. In a final battle against impossible odds. He just never thought it would be in Metropolis. Or that he would feel so truly alone right now.

But he was not going to go down without a fight. He was not going to go down until at least he could save the mayor and his family.

He immediately tossed another smoke bomb to blind the villains as he charged at them. If this was going to be his last stand, so be it. He was prepared to die every day since the day his parents were killed in front of him.

He had made his choice and proceeded to hit Croc with a strong uppercut as the other villains attempted to attack him.


	7. Where is the Justice League?

**I have become more self-conscious and OCD about my grammar and spelling in this story than the last one I wrote so I just edited this chapter after noticing a little mistake I made. Don't need to read if you already read this chapter.**

Mister Terrific sighed with frustration. He and J'onn had been investigating the recent bank robberies across America that seemed to all have the same story. The camera feed went dead for a few hours and the guards remembered nothing. After looking over it, Holt had discovered a recent one happened in LA. Calling an old buddy of his on the LAPD, he was able to get an opportunity to interrogate the guards of the newest bank robbery, who were in custody at the time.

The problem was, bureaucratic politics were getting in the way. He and J'onn had been waiting for hours in an interrogation room.

"I could probe their minds…" J'onn said wistfully.

Holt laughed. "Yeah but the ACLU would be on us for violating civil liberties. Besides I thought Martians don't read minds without permission."

J'onn smiled. "We don't. It was just wishful thinking."

"You waited for centuries on Mars by yourself and you are being impatient?"

J'onn shrugged. "Believe it or not, the Martian desert is more exciting than…this," he said beckoning to the run down room.

Holt laughed, not noticing J'onn flashing a look of pain on his face.

He never liked it when people brought up his home planet. But he never did want to have a negative effect on people so as usual he did his best to make others comfortable. Sensing Holt's frustrations, he had decided he should help lighten his mood with a little humor; even if brought a little painful memory.

Finally the door opened.

"Frankie, what the hell?" Holt asked.

"Sorry Ho-I mean Mister Terrific. The lawyers refused to allow this because you're technically not part of law enforcement."

"We are under the authority of the U.S. government! They have given us permission to help investigate it with the FBI!"

"Yeah but you know how it is with jurisdiction. A judge just allowed it though. One of the lawyers threatened to appeal but the Chief managed to convince them it would be in their clients' best interest."

Frankie was followed by two men who looked at Mister Terrific and J'onn, who was disguised as a civilian, with uncertainty. Two more men in nicer suits entered. Mister Terrific could tell right away they were lawyers.

"Please sit down," Mister Terrific beckoned to the two folding chairs to the two guards.

"I thought the Justice League would be sending Superman or the Flash," the bigger suspect asked with distrust.

"They're busy right now," Mister Terrific explained while giving a glare that intimidated both men to sit down and cooperate.

The blonde lawyer however was not backing down.

"I want to make it clear they are here on their own accord. They don't have to answer anything they don't want to."

"Of course," Mister Terrific muttered. He just wanted to ask a few questions and they were making it more difficult than it needed to be.

The bald lawyer also had issues though.

"I still don't understand why the Justice League is interested in a case like this. Shouldn't they be fighting monsters?"

"There have been many crimes like this across the country recently. The League has saw fit that this may be the work of a large criminal organization like Intergang," Mister Terrific explained while staring the two suspects down.

"Hey wait minute! We have nothing to do with that! It's like we told you, we both fell asleep on the job!"

"Really? Because that is what every other guard says. You would think you guys would change your stories…"

"You are making accusations with no proof!" The blonde lawyer yelled.

"Hey look man, we're telling the truth!" the other suspect pleaded. He did not like the fact the Justice League was thinking he was involved in some conspiracy.

Holt sighed.

"I do want to believe you, I really do. That's why I brought him. To see if you're telling the truth," he explained while pointing to J'onn.

Sensing it was time to make an appearance, J'onn shape shifted into his standard humanoid form.

Both he suspects yelped in surprise. The lawyers were not too pleased either.

"You brought a mind reader here without approval? You are violating his constitutional rights!" the bald lawyer complained.

Mister Terrific was undeterred and kept his cool.

"J'onn has not read your minds. He would never do it without permission. We brought him here to see if your clients are telling the truth and if they are, they might have saw something important without realizing it."

"You don't have court authority!" the blonde lawyer accused.

However his client, the more nervous suspect ignored his lawyer.

"So if we let you in our minds, you will know we are telling the truth?"

"Martin I insist you rethink-"

"Yea man, what the hell are you doing?" his fellow suspect asked.

"Hey we got nothing to hide. If we let him read our mind, this will be over. We can prove we are innocent. I don't want to get dragged out in this."

"But Martin," his lawyer explained. "It is a violation of privacy. He might see things you do not want him to see."

Martin sighed and looked at the Martian.

"You promise you'll only look into what happen that night? Nothing else?"

J'onn nodded. "I promise. We also promise nothing will be used against you in court if there is any incriminating evidence. We believe this is the work of something else. If you have nothing to hide, you can make this all go away."

"And when you see the truth you'll let us go?"

Mister Terrific looked at his friend. Frankie cleared his throat.

"The chief is actually willing to let you go if the Martian finds your innocence despite this not being allowed in court. It's your own choice."

Martin bit his lip in hesitation. It was tempting and for some reason he trusted the Martian.

"Do it."

"Martin you're making a…"

"It's my choice. Go ahead."

With much reluctance the lawyers sighed and watched as J'onn put his hands onto Martin's head.

"Close your eyes and think about that night," J'onn whispered.

Martin sighed and thought about that night. How he and Jeff had been working the graveyard shift and how both were complaining the coffee was not keeping them awake tonight. How the blue hooded man in the room told them it was okay to sleep. It was okay to relax for a bit…

Wait, who was the blue hooded man? Martin did not remember that. He just remembered his mind went black and the next thing he knew Jeff was waking him up telling them they both had fallen asleep on the job.

Martin's attention was brought back to the presence.

"I don't remember that happening!" he pleaded.

The Martian however did not seem to hear his explanation. Instead his face was glowing with alarm.

"What is it?" asked Mister Terrific.

"They're innocent. We need to go!" he said with much hurry and left.

"Wait J'onn…" Mister terrific called out chasing after him ignoring the complaints from the two lawyers who wanted to know what was going on.

Finally Mister Terrific caught him when J'onn had exited the building.

"J'onn, what the hell is going on?"

"Call the League to transport us to the Metro or Watchtower. We need to alert everybody."

"Alert them what?"

"To not fall asleep. We are dealing with a powerful telepath right now!"

"Wait what-?"

"Call them Holt!" J'onn said raising his voice with much urgency.

Holt hesitated but decided J'onn would explain it to him after they were somewhere safe.

"Mister Terrific to Watchtower. Two for transport," Holt replied. He got no response though just static.

"Hello? Two for transport! Location LA!" Holt replied angrily. Booster better not be asleep on the job.

"Booster? Hello, anybody?" Holt asked with a little more alarm in his voice.

J'onn looked scared as well.

"I will try the Metro, hold on," Holt said changing signals.

"Metro Tower come in, this Mister Terrific. Is anybody there?"

Still no response. Just pure static.

Holt pulled out a palm pilot and turned it on. It gave him the schematics of the Watchtower and Metro Tower.

A red warning was beeping.

"What is it?" J'onn asked.

"It appears both are under lock down. We added a new feature that if either the Watchtower or Metro Tower was attacked they both would go under lockdown to prevent attack on the next one."

"Does anyone know how to shut it off?" J'onn asked. Some security feature.

Mister Terrific bit his lip in frustration.

"Yeah me, Superman, and Shayera. No good trying to get in touch with them. The communications are knocked out. And we cannot just hope either Superman or Shayera are in the Watchtower or Metro Tower right now. We need to get to the Metro quickly. I can open it manually."

"Do you think it's wise? It could be under attack."

"Yeah but we can't get a hold of each other until one of those is online. It's the best bet."

With reluctance J'onn agreed.

"I hope you aren't afraid of heights," he said and transformed into a dragon. Mister Terrific got the message and jumped on. Holt would prefer a more convenient mode of transport but they were in a hurry to get across the continent to the Metro Tower. It would take them a few hours.

00000

"Ow!" cried Dinah in pain.

"Sorry," Flash apologized as he attempted to navigate his way through the Metro Tower. The power went out without a warning and they were all locked in. It was just himself, Dinah, Oliver, and a few other heroes along with the civilian staff. Most of the other heroes were on the Watchtower.

"Have you been able to get a hold of anyone?" Wally asked Oliver hopefully.

"No," Oliver said tapping the monitor. "This is a lockdown. No communications going in or out."

"So are we stuck here?" Wally asked a little nervously.

"Yeah. Unless Holt or one of us figures out how to override it. Something must have happened on the Watchtower to set this off because I was right at the Metro monitor when this happened and nothing seemed out of the ordinary."

"So what do we do?" asked Dinah. They were supposed to go out on a date tonight in Metropolis.

"Hey guys. I found the basement door. I think there is a control panel there we can use-ow!" Wally cried before tumbling down the stairs.

Oliver shook his head.

"That kid is going to hurt himself one of these days," and he proceeded to follow the source of Wally's voice, hoping to get the power back on soon. He was going to propose to Dinah tonight.

00000

"Look I don't know what happened. I doze off a little and next thing I know, security alarms are going off!" Booster yelled defensively to Shayera. The civilian staff on the Watchtower was attempting to fix the controls. They were not having much luck because the control panel that would override the lockdown was fried. That meant they had to wait until the Metro Tower was back online.

Shayera scowled at him. She was going to make him pay. The alarm announcing lockdown had caused Rex to cry. It took John three hours to calm him down. No one disturbed her child like that, no one.

"Where is Mister Terrific?" she asked. She hoped he was on the Metro Tower so he could fix this. This was a stupid security idea. Seemed like a good idea when they are being attacked by parademons or ultimen, but some accident on the Monitor Womb? An unnecessary inconvenience.

"He's investigating a case on earth. Don't worry. He'll eventually realize what's happened and go to the Metro tower to fix this…" Booster said nervously as Shayera stared him down.

"You better hope so," she threatened before stomping off. Idiot. When those tapes came out and showed him slacking on the job causing this, she would make sure they would use it to fire the man. They kicked out Batman but still kept him? Ridiculous!

00000

"And then Clark hesitates and I push him out of the way and said 'I would!'" Diana explained to Lois who laughed as their male counterparts stared awkwardly around. It was hard to be part of a conversation when two woman got really excited talking to just each other.

Diana was just explaining how one time Superman would not punch Giganta because she was a woman.

Lois punched Clark in the arm.

"He is such a boy scout sometimes."

Clark smiled.

"I know but that's why you love me," he responded.

Lois playfully punched him again.

"And because I punch you all the time without feeling guilty."

Clark smiled again and kissed her.

Tom feeling awkward about the display of affection grabbed Diana's hand under the table. Diana smiled. She knew he was not comfortable with PDA. But he was still letting her know he loved her just like those two loved each other.

The two couples were having a good time. No emergencies or national disasters. Just two loving couples on a wonderful date in Washington DC. They were at a nice Mexican Restaurant. It was not as classy of a restaurant that Diana was used to but it was nice. She understood Clark could only afford so much on his salary.

"So when did you tell her you were Superman?" Tom asked curiously, determine to start a conversation with Clark.

Lois smiled. "He did not need to, I already knew."

"But honey, I didn't know you knew. You see what happened was I was with my boss Perry one day and he was going on a rant how much he loved his wife. He forgot their anniversary due to a big story going on. So he was just ranting how a real man should let the woman he loves know it every day and I could not in good conscience keep lying to myself or-"

"Bruce!" Lois shouted.

"What?" asked Clark alarmed looking around.

Diana had a similar look on her face.

"Who's Bruce?" Tom asked confused.

Lois pointed to the TV at the bar. A news report had cut into a baseball game. The bartender turned up the volume. There was a tag line at the bottom. It read "The End of Batman?"

"_This Sally Stomers live in Metropolis, bringing you what might be the end of Batman…"_

Behind the reporter, the cameras revealed Batman in what appeared to be near the ruins of a building being tossed in the air by Kalibak with Metallo and Killer Croc attempted to stomp on him.

"_The police have formed a barricade but cannot intervene due to a hostage crisis…"_

The camera then zoomed in on the roof of a partially demolished building. Two men who looked like brothers were holding hostages.

"_It seems the assortment of villains here have gathered for one purpose; to defeat Batman. The police have tried to get snipers but have been deterred away by a sniper rumored to be famous assassin Deadshot in the building."_

Batman meanwhile was about to be charged at by Kalibak but got out of the way just in time for Kalibak and Metallo to charge into each other. The two villains fell to the ground unconscious. However Batman's rest was only temporary as Bane had come out of nowhere and sent him flying into the building with one punch.

Sally had cringed at the sight. She appeared to be scared.

"_The-the question though on everyone's mind is where is Superman or the Justice League? There are rumors that police have not been able to get in contact with them…"_

Clark looked at Lois.

Lois slapped him.

"You don't need my permission! Go, save him! Before it's too late!"

Clark got up and sprinted out of the restaurant. Most people were distracted by the news report they did not notice. Diana got up and followed him as well.

"Where are you going?" asked Tom.

Diana did not answer but like Clark had sprinted out of the restaurant.

00000

Superman went behind the restaurant and quickly changed into his uniform. Stupid. Stupid. Batman was about to get murdered and he was in DC. He should have been there. He could have stopped it.

"Clark!" Diana called to him. She had already changed into her Wonder Woman regalia.

"Come on let's go!"

"Clark wait!" Diana called.

"Diana we do not have time! The longer we wait the less chance he has surviving…"

"Think about it. Why haven't any of the heroes in the Metro Tower come to help?"

That caused Clark to pause. As much as he and the League knew there was a rule that Batman and the League would stay out each other's ways, he knew none of them could in good conscience stand by while someone was getting beaten to death.

Even if that someone betrayed them before…

"Think about it Kal," Diana said. "Something might have happened in the Metro Tower. This might be a trap to lure you in!"

"I am not going to stand by and let Bruce get killed though! I won't do it!"

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to think about it!"

Superman sighed. He knew they need to hurry there but Diana had a point. Why had none of the League responded?

Superman pulled out his commlink and tried to call. He got nothing; just dead static.

"Communications are down," he muttered angrily.

Diana nodded.

"Well I don't care. I am not going to sacrifice Bruce…"

"Let me get him! They are probably expecting you! Go to the Metro Tower and see what's wrong over there."

Superman hesitated.

"Clark," she said and touched his face gently. "Trust me, I will save him."

Finally Superman seemed to agree and began to hover in the air.

"We got to hurry though. Regardless if it's a trap or not, Bruce might not last long."

And with the speed faster than a bullet he took off with Diana not too far behind him.

When she saw the news feed her first instincts were to fly over and rescue Bruce. But she had learned her lesson about going in guns-a-blazing without thinking. Bruce had taught her that. Ironic, as much as she disliked the man, not only was she using his own strategy to rescue him, she was using the strategy to rescue a man she hated.

Or so she would like to think.

"Come on Bruce. Hold on," she whispered to herself in flight.


	8. Destiny Revealed

**WARNING: This chapter is a little dark and gory.**

Doctor Destiny stood in the shadows unnoticed; watching the Caped Crusader fight for his life. Despite all odds, Batman was still putting up a fight. But Doctor Destiny knew he was being worn down. Batman was facing foes way more physical than he was.

Good.

There was a reason why Doctor Destiny needed Bane and other sadistic, strong criminals. When he had last dueled with Batman, he found Batman's mind was unstoppable. Unbreakable. That was why when he was on the Legion of Doom, he did not attempt to put the Justice League in their worst nightmares like he did when he first encountered them. He feared Batman would fight through.

But then a miracle happened.

When Luthor had resurrected Darkseid, Doctor Destiny was one of the villains who were not frozen but did not make it in time to be protected by Sinestro and Star Sapphire. In what he thought would be his final moments, he tried to telepathically call all his fellow legion members to help him, but they ignored it. The explosion happened and his body was lost.

But not his essence.

He was split into multiple pieces as little bits of him occupied the minds of many of his fellow legion members; but he still existed. He had planted himself telepathically just enough in a few villains to keep himself alive. However he was still separated. It took him two years to put his collective conscience into one.

That in itself was great difficulty because he only existed in the villains' dreams. However even though he was trapped and scattered in multiple minds, he discovered his powers had evolved. Not only was he a telepath, but he was also an empath.

It was with this evolution, he discovered the heart was much more valuable than the mind. Even animals, which possess no rational thought, still had emotions. Emotions came before thought. It was in emotion, not the mind, where the real power lied.

He was able to put himself back together by feeding off the emotions of the dreams the supervillains had. Rage, greed, fear, and many more was enough for him to unite himself.

Yet even after he rebuilt himself, he realized he was still separated from the world. He was like a ghost, intangible, walking apart among the living. The only thing keeping him present in the world was feeding off the emotions of others. Sometimes he could use strong emotions to make himself tangible temporarily. But he would never be whole again.

Until he realized he could have his revenge.

After a year of attempting to find a way to make himself able to exist in the real world permanently, he discovered a way that would not only allow him to become perfectly tangible but amplify his power as well. He needed to find a powerful source of emotion. But being a telepath had taught him one thing about emotions. They were like precious jewels. The usually biggest, brightest ones were under the hardest and roughest exteriors.

That was why he sought Batman. Not only would it allow him to get revenge finally, but he knew Batman had buried beneath the cold exterior a gold mine of emotions. If he got Batman's dark heart, he would be unstoppable. Batman like all other men had at least one weakness and it was the heart.

Btu even so, Doctor Destiny knew it would not be wise to try to attack Batman's heart. Even with age, Batman had too strong of self-control on himself. That was why he needed to wear Batman down physically. It would make Batman's emotions less guarded.

So he hired Bane to recruit the most sadistic and physically strong foes he could think of. Getting the money was not an issue. There were so many security guards at banks who had vulnerable minds that he could probe. Now his plan was coming close. Batman just needed to stay alive, for now. The Justice League meanwhile would be distracted.

Doctor Destiny just saw Batman dodge Kalibak, causing the New God to crash head on into Metallo, knocking both of them out.

"Willpower, determination, strength. Yes he's strong in that," Doctor Destiny whispered to himself as a green light began to envelope him.

He started feeling solid again. But not enough. He needed to establish more links so he could enter Batman's heart.

He looked up at the roof to see the Sazusky Brothers holding the mayor and his family hostage.

There was a reason why he added sadism as part of the criteria.

Grinning he faded away. It was time to see what other emotions he could pull out of Batman.

000000

Batman dodged a barrage of bullets that Deadshot was shooting at him from the building. The police had long formed a perimeter around the area but did not dare to go in. Not only because of the hostages, but also due to the fact Deadshot was sniping at people who tried to interfere.

Batman was punched in the back by Kalibak before Bane caught him by the cape and threw him.

"How does it feel Batman? To know you have lost? Look at you. No one is helping you!"

Batman got up but realized his belt was empty. There was one more battarang in his glove, but it would take some time to get it out, and it would not do him any good at the moment. Meanwhile Croc, Metallo, and Kalibak were closing in on him as well.

"You spend your entire life saving people and yet when you're in trouble, they curse your name and leave you to die! Accept defeat!"

Batman wanted to give up. Why was the League not helping? Did he really push them that far away that they left him in his hour of need? There was no point anymore. Just give up and accept a fate he had coming to him. But then the image of the mayor's two scared children brought him out of self-pity.

He made a vow that he would do his best to make sure what happened to him would not happen to another child. He was not going to give up yet. Even if he knew he would not make it.

With surprising agility, he dodged Bane's punch causing the foe to collapse into the rubble he made from the wall.

The Dark Knight attempted to get Bane while he was down, but found himself grabbed by Kalibak and tossed in the air. Metallo and Croc meanwhile were attempted to stomp on him.

Using all his core muscles, Batman managed to roll away from the two villains before finally allowing himself enough time to get back on his feet. Springing forward, he kicked Metallo while simultaneously grabbing Croc and tossing him out of the barricade. The police waiting reacted immediately and tackled the struggling reptile man.

One down.

But Batman did not have time to celebrate. To one side he saw Kalibak charging at him like a wounded elephant. On his other though, Metallo had gotten up and was charging with just as much ferocity.

If he could just time this right…

At the last moment Batman got out of the way just in time. The force Kalibak and Metallo had run into each other with was enough to send them both flying. It did not take a doctor to know that both were unconscious, or at least Kalibak was and Metallo was offline. Regardless, two more were out of the game.

However as usual, Batman did not have time to celebrate because Bane had grabbed him and thrown him against another wall. Batman who felt himself losing consciousness could vaguely hear a reporter outside the barricade demanding the whereabouts of the Justice League.

0000

Doctor Destiny appeared behind Igor Sazusky who was holding the mayor and his wife at gun point. He was a big man and could carry both with ease. His equally huge brother Ivan was holding the two boys. Both brothers were making sure to have the hostages in front of them as human shields.

Doctor Destiny grinned. Time to act. Sensing the twisted emotions of Igor, he knew just what tweak to let the criminal do what needed to be done to send Batman over the edge.

Igor felt anger. Batman was probably going to win and he and his brother would get sent back to Arkham. No money at all. But most of all, he would not get the chance to kill again. Both brothers did enjoy killing, but Igor was the natural. He would have taken the job for free if he were allowed to kill a lot of people. Now it looked like he was not going to have the opportunity.

He looked at the two boys who were terrified and had held a gun to their heads by his brother. Envy built up in Igor. He and Ivan never had a family. Their father left their mother to die when she gave birth. They were forced to live on the streets like sewer rats. Why should those two boys have a better life than them?

Igor saw Batman get back up and start punching Bane again. It was only a matter of time before Batman would come up. If they kept the hostages they could escape, but they only needed one or two. Four was being a little excessive. Besides, it would show the police how serious they were.

Igor stepped closer to the edge, dragging the terrified mayor and his wife. Like their children, they were gagged. But they were not blindfolded. Igor enjoyed seeing fear in his victims' eyes before they died.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Ivan asked apprehensively.

Igor ignored him and walked closer to the edge. His two hostages, sensing what he was going to do squirmed even more, but his powerful form was too much. It was useless. Like a helpless animal, the parents just looked into their children's' eyes, desperately trying to tell them everything was going to be alright, even though they knew it was not.

00000

Bane laughed as he approached a near unconscious Batman.

"I will admit, you do put a good fight. But can't you see it is hopeless? Your quest is meaningless. You don't matter! Nothing you did matter!"

Batman feigned unconsciousness. Time to play possum.

Bane lifted Batman in the air by the neck and began to squeeze.

Batman broke free however and using a little judo move, was able to throw Bane over him. The juggernaut was sent flying through the wall buried under more rubble. Bane started to shift, but the weakened support of the demolished building had just collapsed from the impact, burying Bane under more rubble.

Batman sighed. With Bane one could not be too sure. Better get away quick and get to the roof-

BANG!

Batman looked and saw Deadshot standing on a rafter smiling at him.

Deadshot knew with Bane buried under half the building, he was vulnerable standing there. Bane gave him specific instructions to not kill Batman, but so what? Batman was going to get him if he didn't kill him first. Besides Bane wasn't the one paying him.

Deadshot shot a barrage of bullets, forcing Batman to find cover.

The assassin stopped shooting and let out a mock yawn.

"You know Batman. I'm getting bored here. I got you pinned. Let's just make this easy on ourselves and you come out from there. I promise I will make it quick."

Batman however had been ignoring the taunt and had been getting the spare battarang he had in his glove. Only had one shot…

As Deadshot went to reload his gun Batman somersaulted over the piece of wall he was hiding behind and threw the battarang.

It sailed four feet above the assassin's head.

"You missed!" Deadshot taunted and got his wrist gun aimed.

However Deadshot in his arrogance had not seen what Batman was aiming at. Above the beam he was on there was another beam hanging very loosely. The battarang struck the hanging beam in the right spot. The sharp edges cut through the wood and had sent the beam falling.

As Deadshot got ready to shoot, the falling beam had landed on the beam that he was standing on, not too far away from his position. The force of the falling beam had caused the one Deadshot was standing on to split. The assassin lost his balance and fell. He was not that high up but he still fell enough to stun him temporarily.

That was all the time Batman needed to calmly walk up to the shooter and knock him out with one punch before he could get back up.

"You're right, I did miss. I wanted that beam to fall directly on you," Batman growled to the unconscious man and made his way up the half destroyed stairs. He was going to win this one.

00000

"Igor stop!" Ivan cried in protest. He knew what his brother was going to do.

Igor just gave his brother a cryptic look.

"Igor. We can't kill them here right now. We'll need them to help us escape."

Igor seemed to have relented and relaxed his posture. Ivan sighed with relief.

But then Igor smiled and pushed his two hostages off the roof to the horror of his brother. He enjoyed hearing their muffled screams as they fell to their deaths. He smiled as he saw the two lifeless bodies hit the ground.

"You've doomed us all!" Ivan shouted.

"We don't need that many hostages!"

"The police are going to come in now!"

The two brothers began to argue. Both seemed to have forgotten the two boys. The two boys just stared at their parents bodies. The younger one was crying. The older one was just sitting there. Not even shocked. He probably could have been knocked off the roof too and he would not have realized it.

He saw his parents murdered in front of him. His younger brother was too young to fully understand what happened. But he understood. His parents were gone. Meanwhile their two captors had begun to physically fight each other.

The two Russians had forgotten that the police had snipers on them the whole time, and that they did not have human shields at the moment. Plus they were unaware that Deadshot had been incapacitated.

A lonely sniper on the building across had watched everything. He nearly puked when he saw the two adults being pushed off the building. He did not care if there was a shooter in the building or that Batman was there. He wanted to make those monsters pay. He saw that they had both forgotten the boys.

He could get both of them in shot. If he timed it right.

"Sir, I got a shot!" he called over his radio.

"Take it then! Kill those basturds before they kill again!" his supervisor yelled, forgoing any professionalism at the moment.

The shot was aimed to go through both of the brothers' heads. It would have succeeded to if Ivan had not managed to tackle Igor to the ground. The bullet went right through Ivan's neck, just flying over Igor by inches.

Igor laid on the ground shocked to see blood spill out of his brother's neck onto him. Immediately he felt rage. Meanwhile the sniper was on radio with his supervisor.

"Did you get both of them?" the supervisor demanded.

"I can't tell sir. I saw one go down. Permission to shoot ag-"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Igor had gotten up and began firing wildly. Many officers ducked. Before the snipers could react, the mad man picked up the two children with the gun pointed to their head.

The police got the message. The sniper could hear his supervisor on the radio channel calling for them to get ready to go in ten minutes.

Like a cornered animal, Igor limped backwards into the door on the roof and opened it, carrying the recent orphans with him.

"Sir I lost sight of him. He's in the building again with the two kids," the sniper said while cursing himself. He had the shot. He waited a second too slow.

000000

Superman was streaking through the sky like a rogue missile, not caring if he hit anything. Even though he was going to the Metro Tower, he was in a hurry to get there as fast as possible. The faster he checked things out at the Metro Tower, the faster he could help Diana save Bruce.

Unfortunately, Superman was so focused on getting there as fast as he could, he was not aware he had just shot pass a plane traveling perpendicular to him.

The force of wind he had created was enough to send the plane falling.

Diana saw it immediately and dove to stop it.

"CLARK!" she shouted as she made her to a wing to try to slow its descent.

Superman was already miles away before his sueprhearing picked her call up.

Realizing his mistake he immediately turned around. Even though Diana was strong, she was having trouble trying to keep the plane from falling as it spiraled out of control.

Cursing himself for his own brashness, Superman dived in front of the nose and grabbed a hold on it.

"Go get him Diana! Go! I got this!" he shouted as he tried to get the plane in control.

Diana understood and took off. She hoped Superman would not cause more accidents on his way back to Metropolis.

She also hoped this delay did not prevent her from reaching Bruce in time.

00000

Batman was on the second floor when it happened. He at first did not hear anything. But then hearing much gasps from outside, he looked out the window. The sight on the ground sickened him. The mayor and his wife were lying on the ground lifeless. Blood was pouring from their bodies.

"No," he whispered. This could not end like this, not now.

He immediately felt fear take hold of him. No not again. Gotham did not need more orphans to see their parents killed in front of him. His biggest fear was being realized. He was paralyzed. The sound of gunshot had managed to snap him back to reality.

He quickly hurried up to the roof. He was going to save the boys, he had to. And he was going to make the Sazusky brothers pay.

000000

Igor dragged his hostages with him as he walked around the top floor.

"Shut up!" he shouted as the younger one began to cry.

As he looked around to find the next stair well, the two boys immediately began to run.

"Get back here!" Igor shouted, ready to fire.

However his arm was met with the force of pure strength. Batman had appeared and twisted his arm back. Igor yelped in pain. The two fleeing hostages stopped running to watch as Batman kicked their parents' murderer to the ground.

However before they could see what Batman would do next, a wall collapsed onto Igor. Batman got out of the way just in time. Batman looked up to see the cause. Bane had broken free and had made his way up. He was standing in the hole he made, glaring at Batman with eyes that screamed murder.

Growling Bane pumped more venom into his brain. His clothes began to tear under his expanding muscles. Batman looked at the two boys who were cowering in fear. This was the worst nightmare any child could see.

"Hide!" Batman shouted.

Bane charged at Batman with so much force, Batman could not react.

He was flung on to the floor. Before he could roll over, Bane had stomped on his left arm. He felt it cracked.

Batman let a yelp of pain escape him.

Bane grinned and picked him up. Batman kicked away and tried to make it to the roof but Bane was too fast and strong. Swinging Batman around like a toy, Bane tossed him to the other wall. Batman moaned. He could barely get up. Bane stomped toward him laughing.

"You've lost Batman! You're a failure! The first thing I am going to do after I throw you off the roof is make sure those children don't make it out of here alive so I can remind everyone how much you've failed today!"

Even though Batman could barely keep his eyes open, a feeling began churning inside him. A feeling of pure rage. His blood began to boil. He felt hatred. Not just at Igor Sazusky and his brother, but the man who brought them together.

This was something Batman almost never felt. Pure hatred. Out of nowhere, he punched Bane so hard in the face, the massive man even stepped back startled by the sudden strength. But Batman was not done yet. Even though his left arm was broken, his right arm continued to keep on punching at all the soft spots with such ferocity and speed, Bane could not react.

This was like when he last fought the Joker. He was out for blood this time. He did not care if he was going to kill him.

After tackling Bane into the stairwell, the two foes rolled down into the next floor. Bane attempted to get up but Batman aimed a roundhouse kick square in his chest that sent him flying against a broken doorway. The pipe that pumped his venom got snagged between the splinters. Before Bane could react, Batman charged at full speed and yanked the pipe along the sharp splinters, severing it. Venom began to spew everywhere as Bane yelped in pain.

Batman meanwhile grabbed a rock from the rubble and began to repeatedly beat the man in the head with it. Not caring that his gloves were getting torn or his shoulder was about to pop out.

Normally this attack would kill a man, but Bane was tougher than an ordinary man and was taking multiple blows to the head with it. However, it was only a matter of time before his skull would not be able to take any more impact.

"Please! Stop!" Bane cried in mercy. Batman did not hear him. Nor did he care. He was going for the killing blow.

But a slight movement out of his peripherals caught his attention. The two orphan boys that he had been protecting were watching the scene across the room. They both looked terrified. The younger one was crying again in fear.

Batman felt sick and dropped the rock. What had he done? He backed away and sighed. He remembered being in that situation when he was eight. To see his parents get murdered in front of him. When he first saw it, he did not first want vengeance or was angry. He was just scared, terrified. He just wanted his parents back.

He understood what those two boys felt. They did not need to see more bloodshed. Nor would any more blood be spilt for them. Sighing Batman bowed his head. He was going to have to let Bane live. Despite being a monster, Batman could not do it. No more blood this day. No more.

Realizing Bane was trying to get up; Batman grabbed him by the throat.

"Who are you working for?" he whispered venomously. He may have decided not to kill him, but that did not mean he was not getting any answers.

Bane laughed. He looked like he was on the verge of passing out.

"You could not have convinced the others to help you without payment! Who is your benefactor?"

Bane spat at him and laughed again before passing out. Batman growled and dropped him.

Before Batman could think what to do next, he heard sarcastic clapping. Everything went dark. But just for a moment.

Batman found he was still in the building, but Bane and the two boys were gone. Where did they go?

He heard the sarcastic clapping again. A man in a blue hood was the source.

"Well done, bravo! I knew you would make it! That's why you are the best!"

There was something familiar about his voice. He recognized it right away.

"I thought you died Dee," Batman said trying to keep calm and his mind clear. Doctor Destiny was trying to mess with his brain again.

"John Dee died on that satellite; Doctor Destiny survived though," the hooded figure grinned.

Batman glared at him.

"You're the one who hired Bane?"

"Correct. I needed the strongest monsters to fight you. First there superior strength would weaken your self-control, and I knew I could manipulate one of them into provoking you into releasing all those emotions you keep pent up."

Batman felt the anger surging up in him again. The wannabe supervillain was the reason two boys would be orphans tonight. But Batman remembered he needed to stay calm, keep his mind focus. He was dealing with a telepath. A telepath who somehow survived an explosion.

"I wouldn't bother trying to protect your mind. That's not what I am after."

"You learned your lesson last time," Batman mocked.

Doctor Destiny grinned.

"I prefer adapted. For example not only have my powers have evolved beyond mere telepathy, I also learned that everyone has a weak point. Especially you Batman. No, not your mind but your heart," the man grinned wickedly as he took a threatening step closer.

Batman however remained calm and stood his ground.

When he got no response, Doctor Destiny decided to continue.

"I've been able to establish a connection with you due to the strong emotions you had experienced in this brutal fight you had been experiencing. Willpower, Rage, Fear, and Compassion. The latter is an odd emotion but still very effective."

Batman still did not seem alarmed and kept his intimidating glare.

"Well good luck now. As you can see, I am pretty well at keeping my calm."

Doctor Destiny laughed loudly.

"My dear dark knight. You do not realize I'm already in your heart!"

Before Batman could react darkness enveloped him. He last heard Doctor Destiny's cackling laugh before he lost all thought.

00000

Diana was flying when she saw the police barricade outside the building. For some reason, despite the urgency she felt earlier, she slowed herself down.

She immediately touched down to land, ignoring the police calls for her to get back on the outskirts.

With caution she immediately hurried inside the building. Her superhearing over heard someone saying on the radio there had been no sounds exiting from the building for a minute.

She saw close to the demolished entrance there were two bodies. From the looks of it, they were some of the hostages.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she felt rage and grief turn up inside her stomach.

But she knew she had to hurry. Who knows what happened to Batman. She sprinted up the stairs expecting to see someone jump out to attack or shoot at her but there was nothing. Had she been too late? Where was Batman?

The silence in the building seemed to have slowed her down. She originally was planning on getting there as fast as she could but somehow the dead silence had created a sense of foreboding within her. She was on the third highest floor when she heard a little shuffle. Her warrior instincts kicked in full alert. She got ready to defend herself when she heard it again. The noise was behind her this time. She immediately turned around only to realize it was two small boys. Neither looked older than eight years old.

Immediately she softened her look and gave them a gentle smile. The small terror they had shown when she turned around quickly evaporated. They were calmed down by her presence.

"Are you alright," she asked with concern as she knelt down. They were covered in blood and seemed to be shaken up. Otherwise they were relatively unharmed.

"Are the bad guys gone?" the younger one asked. The older one seemed solemn and silent.

Diana bit her lip. She wanted to tell them everything was alright. But she could not in good conscience lie to them. Not after everything they probably had witnessed.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" she asked while being on the lookout for any attackers while trying not to worry about the absence of Batman.

"Where's mommy and daddy?" the younger one asked. "Are they alright?"

The older one finally looked at his brother, showing a little anger.

"They're dead!" he yelled at his younger brother. Diana could tell he was fighting back tears. She now understood who those two bodies were.

"No, that's not true!" The younger one shouted at his brother.

"Hey," Diana said softly. That seemed to calm them down again.

"I need you guys to be strong for me right now. Can you be big boys for me?" she asked gently without trying to sound like she was begging.

The younger one sniffled but nodded. The older one just gave her a blank stare. She took that as a yes.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" she asked.

"Where's Batman?" the younger one asked.

"What?" She had almost forgotten about him in her attempt to calm the boys down.

"He fought the big man in the mask! He beat him with a rock!"

Diana's stomach lurched. Bruce could not have broken his rule. He would not have killed someone. He couldn't have.

"He then started asking him some questions…" the younger one continued.

Diana let out a sigh of relief. So Bruce did not kill Bane.

"And then the skeleton man came and touched him and he disappeared!" the younger one shouted scared.

"What?" Diana asked confused.

Finally the older one spoke to her.

"Batman was talking to the masked big man. Then a man in a blue hood came up behind him and they both disappeared. There was a black cloud of smoke."

"Did you see what happened?"

"No we fled downstairs." He explained.

Diana got up apprehensively. She then heard the sound of the police bursting in on the bottom floor.

"Listen I am going to go up to the next floor to look for Batman. Please stay here while the policemen come. They will take care of you. Can you do that for me?" she asked.

Both boys looked nervous, but the small sympathetic smile she gave seemed to inspire some bravery in them.

"Be brave," she whispered and slowly made her way to the top floor.

What she saw caused her to almost freeze. There was blood everywhere. There was a body buried under rubble. She followed the trail of destruction to the large shrunken form of Bane. Even though he looked dead, she could hear him breathing. He was still alive.

It was what was in the middle of the room that caused her to almost jump. Lying lifelessly on the floor was a man in black. He was bleeding and not moving.

Diana immediately jumped down.

"Batman!" she shouted. "Batman!"

She then checked his pulse. It was faint. But he was alive.

She sighed with relief.

She heard buzzing in her commlink.

"Diana!" she heard Superman talking. "Everything is back online I am coming ov-"

"I got him Clark!" she yelled and flew off with him unconscious in her arms. "Tell the medics to get ready for emergency treatment!"

There was a pause on the end.

"Is he-"

"Yes! But barely! I'm heading over there right now!" she said while she flew as fast as she could to the Metro Tower, not waiting for the police. Despite being mad at Bruce for everything he had done, she was not going to let him die.


	9. Failure

Superman was speeding over to the Metro Tower as fast he could. As much as he wanted to head to the outskirts of Metropolis, he knew he needed to check the Metro Tower out first.

When he reached it, to his horror he saw that all the windows were blocked with iron plates. The door was sealed. That could mean only one thing; the Metro Tower was under lockdown.

They developed the new security protocol after the Apocalypse '09. The point was if ever the Watchtower or Metro Tower were under attack, the other one would protect itself. The problem was it was operated under the assumption that either Mister Terrific, or the founders would have a presence at one of the stations to override the lock down when judged appropriate.

Superman's mind raced. He knew at least Shayera and John were on the Watchtower. Did something happen to them? The Metro Tower on the outside looked unharmed but appearances could be deceptive. Was there a coincidence why the Justice League was under attack while Batman was in Metropolis? Was someone trying to bump off the original founders? What about J'onn, Wally and Mister Terrific? Surely one of them would have been in the Metro Tower?

These thoughts were racing through his mind. The Man of Steel tried to use his x-ray vision but forgot they had lined the steel with lead to prevent radiation attacks. Knowing he was taking a risk, he took a deep breath and slowly descended to the secret control panel to type the code to turn off the lockdown. Did no good leaving this locked up if he didn't know what had happened.

However just as he was about to rip off the panel to type the secret code, all the steel panels began to lift up. He could hear many hisses and clanking. The Metro Tower was opening itself up. Was some villain expecting him?

He did not even bother to open the front door; he just flew right in breaking it down while ignoring the alarm going off. He flew to the atrium ready to take out as many foes as he could. Instead he saw himself in the presence of about a dozen tired looking League members who were shielding their eyes as they tried to get adjusted to the lights which had turned back on.

"Hey Supes!" Wally cried waving at him. "Don't worry. We're all clear here. I overrode the lockdown."

"After it took you three hours to remember the code…" Green Arrow muttered looking annoyed.

"Wait, what?" Superman asked confused. He was expecting to face an army of super villains.

"Something happened at the Watchtower that caused us to go on lockdown. Nothing was going on here before it happened," Dinah explained.

"Wait, do you have any idea what happened up there?" he asked alarmed. Not only was a bulk of the League up there, but a baby as well.

Wally looked a little nervous.

"Uh- we just got the lockdown lifted. Q is trying to get communications back online to the Watchtower…"

Superman looked over Wally to see the Question fiddling with the big monitor screen.

A bright light appeared.

"Watchtower, this is the Metro! Please give us a status report!" Question spoke into the microphone.

Superman headed over there followed by the Flash.

"We're alright, annoyed but alright," they heard the gruff voice of Shayera muttered on the other end.

Superman let out a sigh of relief. He took the microphone from Question's hand.

"What happened Shayera?" he asked.

"Something malfunctioned on the Monitor Womb. Knocked out our communications and put us under lockdown. I guess that happened to the Metro too. The network up here was fried so we couldn't put in the override code. Can you give us a hand here?" she asked.

But Superman did not hear that last statement. Upon learning it was just a technical failure, he immediately began taking off. Batman was in trouble and he was not going to be overseeing technical difficulties. He turned on his commlink to call Diana.

"Diana!" he yelled as he got ready to step outside and take off. "Everything is back online I am coming ov-"

"I got him Clark!" she yelled back over the communication network.

Superman was about to sigh with relief but Diana was not done talking.

"Tell the medics to get ready for emergency treatment!"

He froze at that remark. How bad was Bruce? Was he even alive?

"Is he-"

"Yes! But barely! I'm heading over there right now!" she said before ending the communication.

Superman wasted no time and headed back into the tower.

Wally was trying to help turn the lockdown off in the Watchtower.

"Is the med bay online?" Superman asked Green Arrow who was a little put off by the urgency in the Kryptonian's voice.

"Yeah. Should be-"

"Tell them to get ready for emergency medical treatment!" he demanded.

"What?" asked the archer confused.

"GO!" Superman shouted, causing all the heroes in the atrium to stare. Superman did not care and watched as Oliver hurried over to brief the medical staff.

He then turned to head back outside to help Diana bring Bruce in.

"What's going on? Who's hurt?" Wally asked alarmed. Shayera was listening on the other end as well.

"Batman," Superman called out, not really noticing the reactions all the heroes were giving each other.

000000

Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash stood in the Metro Tower med bay in silence. No one dared to say a word. After Batman was brought in, Superman ordered Shayera and John to head to the Metro Tower and that all other heroes head back to the Watchtower. That was a difficult task. Many heroes wanted to stay in the Metro Tower because they wanted to know what was going on after seeing Wonder Woman and Superman carrying a half-dead, bloodied Batman.

But a quick threatening glare from Superman with heat vision caused all the heroes to get onboard the Javelins to be transported up to the Watchtower.

Shayera and John had just arrived by Javelin to the Metro. The teleporters up on the Watchtower would be down for a while. The married couple paused to observe the somber looks the three were giving.

"How is he?" Shayera asked worried. Superman explained to her what happened over the radio as they piloted the javelin to the Metro.

"We don't know," he replied angrily. He was angry at himself mostly but at Batman as well for putting himself in danger like that.

"Where's J'onn?" Flash asked worried.

"He's on his way. He is transporting Mister Terrific with him. They were working on a case in California."

Speak of the devil. Superman's superhearing picked up the sound of J'onn and Holt landing outside the Metro Tower door which he had broken hours ago.

In a manner of moments J'onn appeared.

"Where's Holt?" Flash asked.

"He's with the repair team that's trying to fix the front door. He understood that Superman just wanted the founders in here."

Superman sighed.

"So what exactly happened?" John asked. "Bru-Batman is not part of the League anymore. What's he got to do with anything?"

Shayera gave him a dirty look.

"I didn't mean it like that!" John tried to explain.

"What did you mean then?" Shayera demanded taking a step closer.

"Enough," said Superman. All eyes turned on him.

Clearing his throat.

"The two towers were under lockdown at the exact time that Batman falls into a trap in Metropolis. Such convenient timing because the League was not able to help him because we were distracted by this. Diana and I felt it was too coincidental. We felt like it was almost as if someone planned the Metro Tower to be locked up because they did not want anyone to help Batman," Superman explained, not really paying attention to what he was saying.

In his head he was chiding himself for not only abandoning Batman, but failing as a leader. He should have seen this coming. If only he was faster, stronger, smarter, this never would have happened…

"That might not be the only thing amiss," J'onn muttered darkly.

"What?" asked Flash confused.

"Doctor Destiny is back," J'onn explained.

The air in the room felt stiff. Diana did not personally experienced Doctor Destiny because she was on a mission during the time, but she did hear all the horror stories about him. If it wasn't for Batman, who knows what would happened.

"Wait, I thought he was killed when Darkseid blew up Luthor's satellite?" John asked.

The Martian shook his head.

"He managed to latch his conscious onto the minds of a few villains that survived before the explosion. It seems he has put himself back to better recently. Not only that his powers have evolved," J'onn said grimly.

"Evolved?" asked Green Lantern a little worried. That's all they needed, Doctor Destiny getting more powerful.

"He is able to feed off emotions as well. He can feed on just that. It allows him to manipulate people more. In a way he can attack the heart, not just the mind."

Flash was having a hard time wrapping his head around J'onn's explanation. It seemed more philosophical than an actual explanation.

"How do you know this?" asked Shayera.

"Mister Terrific and I were investigating a string of mysterious bank robberies around the country. I was able to read one of the guards mind and I discovered he was using this power to make them sleep and learn how to bypass the security to obtain money."

"Why would he need money?" Superman asked. It seemed a little cliché.

J'onn sighed, "I have not been able to figure that out yet either. Doctor Destiny cannot fully take physical form. He may become stronger in the presence of powerful emotions, but it would take a lot to render him permanently physical. I would think that would be his priority. If he does not find enough emotions to feed on, his nonphysical form can disappear."

"I still do not see what this has to do with Batman. I mean sure it makes sense that Doctor Destiny would probably hold a grudge against Batman but I mean look. I still do not see what he has to do with Batman fighting a bunch of villains in Metropolis," John said gruffly. He was truly sorry that Batman had to fight off a whole army of villains by himself and nearly got killed doing it, but he felt with Doctor Destiny on the loose the League's priority should be stopping the man or whatever he was now.

All the founders looked at each other. John had a point. But before anyone could speak, Mister Terrific called them to the atrium.

Superman seemed reluctant to go. He did not want to leave Batman's side after he had already left him to die once.

Diana went up and touched his hand.

"It's alright Kal. We will be there when he wakes up," she whispered softly.

That brought Superman out of his brooding and he went with the other five to see what Mister Terrific needed them for.

Mister Terrific stood by the monitor, arms folded. It looked like he just watched something on tape.

"What is it Holt?" asked Flash worried.

"This is the security feature from the Watchtower before the lockdown," he muttered angrily.

The founders watched as he replayed the recording. They saw that Booster Gold was on Monitor Duty staring off into space.

"Why would you leave him alone up there?" asked John angrily. He was not particularly fond of Booster.

However Mister Terrific just pointed to the monitor. The founders watched as Booster suddenly passed out and a figure in a blue hood slowly appeared behind him. There was a faint orange light glowing in his hands.

The hooded man shot the orange light at the Monitor Womb control panels. The electronics all began to spark. The camera feed began to show static. But the feed did not completely cut before the hooded man turned around to reveal a skeleton face grinning wickedly with yellow eyes.

All the founders gasped.

Holt cut the feed.

"It appears that Doctor Destiny has returned…" he explained.

Understanding just hit Diana like a train. She knew what the two boys meant now by the skeleton man attacking Batman.

"It was him!" she exclaimed. All eyes were on her.

"Two of the hostages that Bru-Batman managed to save were two little boys. They said after Batman defeated all the villains, a skeleton man appeared and attacked him."

Realization was hitting Superman fast. He immediately began sprinting to the Med Bay.

"Superman! Where are you going?" Mister Terrific asked.

Superman did not listen. If Batman was attacked by Doctor Destiny, he might be living his worst nightmare right now.

He was almost to the med bay when a female voice yelled his name.

"KAL!" Diana called sprinting up to him. "What are you doing?"

"If Doctor Destiny's back, he probably has Bruce trapped in some nightmare! And we are sitting around doing nothing!"

"Well then what are you going to do? Are you a telepath?"

That caused Superman to pause. He was not sure what to do when he got in. But he hated feeling helpless while Batman's life hanged in balance. He had to do something.

Diana gave him an understanding smile and placed a gentle hand on his face. J'onn had approached the group.

"Let J'onn try. If there is anyone that can help, it's him. You do not have to do everything," she whispered.

Superman sighed.

"But I am going inside with you," Superman demanded.

"You can both come," J'onn said and opened the med bay door.

The medics were washing their hands and taking off their gloves.

"Excuse me, we just operated on him! You can't be-"

But the sight of Superman, Wonder Woman, and J'onn standing in the doorway was enough to make the doctor pause.

"How is he?"Diana asked.

Superman was just staring at Batman's lifeless body. They had ripped off his costume. He was badly bruised, his face almost unrecognizable. He was hooked up to a bunch of monitors and machines. To Superman, he looked worse than when he crashed a javelin at the Kryptonite missile.

The doctor sighed. "He's alive, but that's about it…"

The three heroes showed alarming looks.

The doctor continued, "I have never seen anyone take such a beating before and still be alive. They were saying on the news he took out seven supervillains by himself? How does someone take a beating like that and still beat them all?"

"What's wrong with him?" Superman demanded.

The doctor however kept his calm.

"I guess he must have taken a beating to the head badly or something. No overt signs of trauma to the head, but we are getting no response from his brain waves. We are going to try to do a scan later to see what's up. For the lack of the better world though, he is in a coma."

Superman bowed his head. It could not end like this, not now.

J'onn stepped forward.

"I would like to see if I can probe his mind. Maybe see what the problem is."

The doctor motioned J'onn to go ahead.

"J'onn," Diana asked with concern. J'onn looked at her.

"You are aware this is Batman's mind right?"

J'onn nodded before his eyes glowed orange.

00000

J'onn was in a swirling mass of darkness. Or at least you call it darkness. It looked like nothing.

"Hello?" J'onn asked. He had never encountered this before.

"Batman!" J'onn called with assertion. He had to be somewhere here. Somewhere in the darkness.

"Batman!" he shouted again. Still no response. There was nothing.

That was impossible. This never happened, unless…

"The lights are on but no one's home," an evil singsong voice called in the distance.

J'onn looked around. Slowly emerging from the abyss was the blue hooded man.

"You are looking at the wrong place," he grinned at the Martian.

"What have you done to his mind?"

"Nothing," Doctor Destiny replied. "Let's just say, it's offline at the moment."

"What did you do?"

"He put up such a good fight against Bane and the others. You all would have been proud! Or not considering the League did fire him!"

J'onn did not say anything to that accusation. He was actually one of the few founders other than Wally who were willing to vote Batman back in.

"Well anyways, he was worn out though; he lost control of his emotions. He opened his Heart of Darkness for my taking!"

J'onn looked alarmed at that threat.

"You didn't-"

"Oh I did. With his emotions, I will become far more powerful than you can imagine! And the best part is, I get revenge as well! Now excuse me, I have bigger fish to fry!"

Before J'onn could say anything, he felt pain all over him. He screamed and he was back in the med bay rolling on the ground.

Superman and Wonder Woman were doing the best to restrain him while the doctor was trying to order them out.

Finally J'onn seemed to calm down.

"What is it?" Diana asked.

"It's worst than we thought," he stated in pain.


	10. Grief

Dick Grayson woke up to the sound of an annoying ringing. Who would be calling him on a Saturday morning? He rolled over on his side to ignore the ringing. It was then he realized that was not from his house phone or cell phone. It was from a small private phone. A phone he forgot he had. A phone that only one person knew the number for.

He jolted out of bed. Bruce was calling him? No it couldn't be.

But Dick's senses were not deceiving him. The ringing was emerging from under his bed beneath a false floor board where he kept a few tokens. He wondered why he even still had it. Maybe an unwillingness to fully let go?

The ringing stopped and Dick paused. Would it ring again? Would he pick up if it rang again?

His first instincts were no to both questions. Bruce was too cowardly to try to talk to him. He may have dialed the wrong number or something. And even if Bruce was calling him, he would not answer. He had not talked to the stubborn man for three years.

And he had no regrets. He was happier that he no longer lived under his shadow, living in Bruce's little dark world. When he heard the Justice League kicked Batman out not long after the final battle with the Joker, Dick was in agreement. They realized too that no one can work with Batman anymore. He was driving himself off a cliff.

But the phone did ring again. Dick paused. Like he predicted he did not want to answer, but some curiosity was keeping him from throwing the phone away. Why would Bruce be calling him all of a sudden?

To reconcile? Ask for help?

Dick snorted. Hell would freeze over before that happened. But still curiosity overrode his pride and with much reluctance he answered it.

"Nightwing," he muttered in a harsh voice. He refused to ever have Bruce call him by his real name again.

"Dick?" replied a nervous voice on the line. A voice Dick recognized.

"Wally?" Dick asked confused. What the hell was the Flash doing with Batman's phone? "How did you get this number?"

"It was on this small phone the doctors found in his belt. In fact it was the only number in it. They thought maybe it was an emergency contact or something."

Dick's head began streaming. Doctors? Emergency? What happened?

"What's going on?" Dick asked making sure Wally could detect his urgency.

"Oh I mean, you haven't heard?" Wally asked confused.

"Heard what?"

"Well I expected you to see it on the news or something…" Wally tried to explain. Dick could tell he was not comfortable to tell him what was going on.

Dick turned on the TV in his room. He was busting a drug deal in Bludhaven and was on stakeout all night. He did not really get the chance to watch the news.

What he saw on the local morning broadcast made his stomach drop.

Bludhaven, being next door to Gotham, often shared stories between local broadcasts. Today was one of those times. The Gotham local news was reporting on story that was titled "Gotham Without Batman?"

Dick just sat in silence as he learned from the news report how a group of villains had kidnapped Mayor Saunders and his family and led Batman to a trap. They forced Batman to fight them on his own while they held the mayor and his family hostage. To his horror Dick learned the mayor and his wife were killed.

The news report then showed some recordings of the fight. Feeling helpless Dick saw the man he considered his mentor fight all alone to the death. He was still mad at Bruce and in his heart he still did not forgive him, but not even Dick could bear to watch Batman so helplessly be beaten to near death.

"Where were you guys?" Dick demanded after he could no longer watch the report and realized Wally was still on the other end.

"Um…we were preoccupied…"

"Preoccupied? He was getting beaten to a pulp in Metropolis! Don't you have a base there?"

"Look Dick we are sorry for what happened. We were under lockdown at the time. We brought Batman back to the Metro though. He is being treated right now-"

"How is he?" Dick asked angrily.

Wally hesitated on the other line.

"He is alive but…"

"But what?"

"Look he is under attack by some mind manipulator guy. We think his mind is under attack right now."

That gave Dick to pause. Anyone who could mess with Bruce's mind was a force to be reckoned with.

"Why call me though?"

"Well like I said earlier. We just assumed this was an emergency contact number…"

Dick paused again. Why would after all this time he even have Dick still as an emergency contact? Did he still care? No of course not. Bruce probably just forgot to change the number. He was getting sloppy as he got older.

"Look Wally, you have to understand, Bruce and I haven't spoken in years. I don't think I should-"

"Damn it Dick! Quit acting like a spoiled brat! Bruce's life is in balance and you're too proud to visit him?"

That caused Dick to shut up for a bit. Wally never talked that way to people. But he had a point. As much as he thought Bruce did not care, he still could not forgive himself for being too proud to be there.

Dick sighed. "Alright. Can you teleport me?"

"No. Teleporters have been jammed. I will come by in a javelin to pick you up!"

"Wait you can fly the javelin now?"

But Wally already hung up before Dick could question his credentials. Dick sat back down and buried his face in his hands. The more he thought about Bruce, the sicker he felt. This made no sense. He had left Bruce for good and yet here he was, going to visit him again, except this time Bruce would be unconscious.

But before he could dwell, his home phone rang. Who could be calling now?"

Sighing Dick picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Dick," said a female voice on the other end that caused Dick to freeze. "It's Barbara."

"Oh, uh hey…" Dick replied awkwardly. The two never really patched things up.

"I take it you heard?"

"Wally just told me. I'm going to head over to the Metro Tower."

"How is he?" she asked. Dick could detect she was worried sick.

"He's alive but he's still not doing well. Wally made it sound like he is being mentally attacked now."

"Have they been able to do anything?"

Dick bit his lip.

"I don't know."

"I'm coming with you!" Barbara replied.

"What?"

"Tell them to teleport me there as well!" she demanded.

"Well the teleporters are down…"

"Then send a javelin to get me, I don't care! I am coming!"

Dick sighed. He knew there was no way he was going to win this argument. Barbara already lost her father. She could not afford to lose Bruce right now.

"Alright. Wally and I will pick you up. Find a place where we can do it discreetly."

00000

Wally was getting ready to take off in the javelin. All the other founders had left the Metro except J'onn. Mister Terrific had gone back up to the Watchtower to help supervise the repairs up there. Other than the civilian staff, the Metro was virtually emptied.

Wally sighed sadly.

Bruce looked so messed up. Wally was not even sure he was going to make it. If Doctor Destiny took down Batman who knows what would happened next. After J'onn tried to initially stop Doctor Destiny, he learned that the man was attacking Batman's heart. J'onn explained to the founders that meant Doctor Destiny was imbedded so deep into Batman's "soul" that telepathy and willpower alone could not get him out.

Doctor Destiny was trying to feed off Batman's emotional center. If he succeeded he would become more powerful than he ever was which of course was never good news. J'onn was doing all he could to try to delay Doctor Destiny until they came up with a plan. The only good news out of that was they could sleep again. Destiny was too preoccupied at the moment to attack the League.

Wally was about to take off in the javelin when his cell phone rang. He forgot about Linda.

"Hey Linda!" he replied. "Sorry I haven't-"

"What the hell is going on Wally? You had me worried sick!"

"Huh?"

"I see on the news Batman getting killed and no one has a clue where the Justice League is! I thought you might have been hurt or worst!"

Wally sighed. As much as Linda loved to tease him, Wally new she cared deeply for him.

"I'm aright Linda. Batman's messed up pretty bad though. I don't know when I will be getting home. Hopefully tonight. Just trust me ok?"

Linda seemed to have calmed down now that she knew he was unharmed.

"Just don't hurt yourself please," she said on the other line before hanging up. Wally took a deep breath. How could this happen? How did they let this happen?

00000

John and Shayera were at the Metro PD office. They were holding Bane and the others except the Sazusky brothers. The two murderous twins were currently in the morgue. There was a big argument over jurisdiction between the FBI, Gotham Police and the Metro Police.

Shayera was angry. Typical. Everyone is fighting about jurisdiction instead of doing investigation. But that was not where most of her anger was stemming from. She was angry at the other founders. They led Batman to this. They made no effort to help and now look; he was clinging onto dear life. She was mad at herself as well for not doing much, but her husband was pissing her off the most. He seemed to not be as shaken up by Batman's current predicament.

Finally the Metro PD allowed them to interrogate Bane. It paid to be friends with Superman.

They were escorted to a jail cell. Shayera was expecting high tech security and was alarmed by how simple the cell look but then her worries were quashed upon the sight of Bane. Without his venom, he loss much muscle mass. He was still huge but he was also bandaged up pretty bad. Good; Batman delivered a good beating on him.

The cell opened and the married couple walked in. Shayera made sure to tap her mace in her hands threateningly.

When Bane saw them, he began to laugh even though it pained him to do so.

"Now you care. Did he die? Please tell me you were too late!"

"He's still alive," John said curtly. "The man who hired you. What can you tell us about him?"

Bane let out another pained laugh.

"Like I would tell you. What's in it for me?"

Shayera got really angry at that moment. That man was responsible for the death of two people and traumatizing two children. She had enough of this crap.

She grabbed him by the throat and threatened to wave her mace.

"Let's just skip the negotiations. How about I beat it out of you?"

"Shayera!" called John.

"Back off Stewart!" she shouted back. She was really angry at John as well.

Meanwhile the cop outside was panicking. He was trying to open the cell.

"Shy," John whispered softly in a rare moment of tenderness. He never showed the soft side of him in public.

"He's not worth it," he whispered.

Shayera bowed her head and dropped Bane. She gave him a look of disgust and stormed out just when the nervous cop finally managed to open the cell.

John sighed. He knew how Shayera felt. He wanted to pummel Bane himself. In fact he was not just angry at Bane but angry at himself. He had left a fallen comrade. He had failed what he had learned in the Marines. Batman was a comrade in arms and he had forsaken him.

But John knew he could not wallow in self-pity. Someone needed to be strong. Someone needed to have the self-control. The League could not afford it if all of them were letting their emotions take control. It's not how Bruce would have handled things.

John made his way to exit before Bane called him.

"Green Lantern," he whispered.

John turned around.

"I don't know who hired me other than he wore a blue hood and kept his face hidden. However he paid me and the others using a crazy man."

"What?"

"He never paid us in person. Instead he sent this vagrant to hand us the money. The vagrant kept saying the 'voices in my head told me to bring the money!'"

That would explain how Destiny was able to transport all the money he robbed around despite not able to be tangible for long. Of course this information was not helpful at all to Batman's current situation but Bane did not know that. Which was why John grew suspicious. Why was Bane telling him information he thought vital?

"And you're telling me this because…"

"From what it sounds, Batman's still alive. I don't want my employer to try again. At least until I get out so he can hire me once more. Mark my words Lantern. I will be the one to break Batman!"

John clenched his fists. He felt anger inside him. He wanted to start using his ring to strangle Bane and tell him if he went near Batman again he would have to answer to him. But then John's self-control came back. He could not afford to snap. Not now. The League and Batman needed him to keep his emotions in check.

It took all the willpower for John to walk away without saying anything. Bane was scum but not worth getting angry over. It would probably give him some satisfaction anyways.

John exited the cell and made his way back to the lobby to find his wife. Hopefully she did not break anything when she stormed out.

000000

Superman had flown back to D.C. to be with his fiancé in their hotel. He didn't want to leave the Tower but J'onn and Diana managed to convince him to leave. He unlocked his hotel door to find Lois standing there waiting for him.

"Lois…"

"How is he?" she asked worriedly. She could tell by Clark's facial expressions there was not good news.

Clark sighed.

"He's alive, but I don't know how long."

Lois let out a deep breath.

"He's a fighter Clark. He'll make it."

Clark shook his head.

"I'm not sure this time. I don't think Batman's going to survive this."

And with that he sat on the bed and buried his face in his hands.

"It's all my fault," he whispered.

Lois sat next to him and embraced him.

"It is not your fault Clark. Don't blame yourself for this-"

"You and Shayera both warned me to talk to him again and I didn't. I don't know why. I kept telling myself that it was for the League's best interest but now I am not so sure."

Lois sighed sadly.

"Clark. What you did at the time you thought it was right. It may have been the wrong decision but you were doing what you thought was the right thing. You can't completely hate yourself for this."

"This is why Bruce hated me."

"That's not true he loved you! You know it!"

Clark bowed his head.

"I'm too much of a coward. He never liked or looked up to me. To him I was just a fool."

And before Lois could respond Clark broke her embrace and opted to lie back on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping, so I don't have to keep blaming myself!"

Lois sighed and got up. It was best to let him grieve on his own. He would feel better eventually. She hoped.

00000

A few miles from Clark's hotel room, Diana was in her apartment. She had just got back. Like Clark she realized that it was not wise for her to be standing around the Metro tower feeling helpless. She should go home to rest.

As she locked the door she sighed. A single tear began to flow down her cheek. In front of the whole League she knew she had to act strong. She could not be acting like Clark and going off impulse. Batman needed them to stay calm. But now that she was home, she could let loose a few emotions she kept bottled up.

She was not even sure why she was crying. In all honesty, she still hated Batman. His betrayal was unforgiveable to her. And the fact he remained unapologetic did not help either.

But still, even Batman did not deserve to end up like this. Broken, trapped, and alone. He may have had his faults, but he did not deserve that fate.

For a second she began to feel those buried emotions for him again but she quashed them down. That was the thing of the past. The future was now just trying to keep Batman alive. Besides she had Tom.

Tom. She had forgotten about him. She immediately grabbed her phone and dialed his number.

"Hello?" he asked on the other line.

"Tom? It's me, Diana."

She heard Tom sigh with relief on the other line.

"I was worried about you. How are you holding up?"

"Fine," she said but her voice was an octave higher than usual. Tom picked up on that.

"Di," he replied gently. "Do you want me to come over?"

The Amazonian pride in her wanted to say no, but her heart told her otherwise.

"Yes," she said softly.

"I will be there in ten minutes," he replied hanging up.

True to his word, ten minutes later he was knocking outside her door. He had a key to her place, but he was being polite enough to not just barge in. He was such a good man.

Diana opened the door and Tom entered. She did not know why but at the moment she just embraced him. Tom did not complain and returned the embrace.

She just wanted to hold him. At the moment she felt unsure and scared. What she needed was someone to comfort her and let her know everything was going to be okay.

Finally they broke the embrace and she sat on her bed. Tom chose to still stand.

"How is he?" Tom asked.

Diana sighed.

"He's barely alive. We're not sure if he is going to make it because he's now being under attack by a telepath."

Tom bowed his head sympathetically.

"And the funny thing is, as much as I want to hate him, which I do; I, for some reason, am all worked up over this!"

Tom placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Diana. No matter what happened, Batman was still a comrade in arms for you. When I was in Iraq, there was one guy in my unit I absolutely hated. He was a jerk, liar, thief, and a sadist. But one day when we were escorting a convoy, we came under attack by insurgents. This guy took two bullets to the spine. I did all my best to keep him alive but he died. As much as I hated him, I couldn't in good conscience let him die and I blamed myself a while for his death. You have to understand, in the kind of work we do, where our lives are at stake on a daily basis, there may be some people you absolutely hate, but you don't want to see killed either."

Diana smiled it did make her feel better. She was a warrior and understood to respect those who fought by her side. Even people like Bruce. However a part of her was still nagging that there were other reasons for why she was feeling so much grief but as usual she ignored it. Tom was not done talking.

"And it's because of how dangerous our professions are, I'm doing this," he said and got on one knee startling Diana.

"Diana. I know this is the worse time, but last night caused me to think how both dangerous our jobs really are. One of us might be dead the next day."

"What are you doing Tom?"

Tom pulled out a box with a ring in it.

"Diana. I've realized I could never forgive myself if one of us were to die before I showed you how much I love you. Diana, will you marry me?"

Diana stood startled things were happening so fast. She did not know what to feel.

Tom gave a small smile.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away. I understand you're going through a lot with Batman and you need time to think. I just could not hold it back anymore. I love you Diana."

Diana was stunned. She was not expecting this. A part of her wanted to be angry at Tom for doing this while she was grieving over Bruce but another part was glad he was showing how much he cared for her.

Diana placed a hand on his face.

"You are right Tom," she said sadly. "I can't answer that question right now. However I do know that I love you."

Tom gave an understanding smile and handed her the box. "I love you too Diana. Let me know when you've made your decision. I will wait, no matter how long."

He stood up and kissed her on the forehead causing Diana to smile. Unfortunately Tom received a call from Faraday telling him to come back to work. With reluctance he left her apartment. Once again Diana found herself alone to herself.

Sighing she decided to take a shower. Hopefully it would make her feel better.


	11. Reunion

Wally flew the javelin in solemn silence while Barbara and Dick sat behind silently. No one dared to break the silent tension at all. Not even the talkative Wally. Wally did not want to be the one to break the awkward silence. He had a feeling Dick or Barbara would snap if he did.

Finally Metropolis came into view. It was about two in the afternoon.

Aiming the javelin at the Metro, Wally made to land on the roof. Even though he was certified to pilot the javelin, he was technically not certified to land it. The controls began to shake violently. Dick gave him a worried look.

"Sorry," Wally replied sheepishly as he began to fight the vibrating steering manual and land the javelin roughly on the roof.

Wordlessly, Wally unbuckled his seat belt and opened the javelin. Dick and Barbara followed him out.

Flash led them to an entrance on the roof. Pulling out a small remote he aimed it at the entrance and the faintest click was heard.

"This way," he beckoned and led Dick and Barbara down the stairs.

Like the trip along the javelin, the trip down the stairs to the main floor of the Metro was silent. What was up with the Batclan always being quiet and solemn? Wally always found Dick to be usually the talkative one. But not this time. Dick had kept a solemn expression on his face the whole time. He was taking a leaf out of Bruce's book. With Barbara, Wally could tell she was worried sick. With Dick though, it was hard. Wally couldn't tell if he was upset or not.

Finally the awkward trip was over and they were outside the med bay.

"Uh, wait here," Flash said as he entered.

He found Bruce was still hooked up to multiple machines. The doctors had added a feeding tube as well though. Wally felt his heart slow down for a second. They were resorting to a feeding tube? How bad was Batman now?

J'onn meanwhile was sitting down on a stool his eyes closed and muttering.

Flash did not want to interrupt and instead stood quietly to the side, watching the frustrated Martian.

Without warning J'onn jumped in pain and yelped, rubbing his temples furiously.

"What happened?"

"I tried to find another way to enter but Doctor Destiny blocked me again. All I can do is slow him down. I don't think I can stop him indefinitely though," J'onn explained grimly.

"Well Nightwing and Batgirl are here. Why don't you take a break so they can see him?"

J'onn gave Flash a quizzical look.

"You brought them here?"

Flash gulped.

"Well the doctors found that funny phone on his utility belt and we all thought it was an emergency contact number or something. Turns out he had Nightwing on it for some reason. I told Nightwing what happened and he brought Batgirl along as well. They are the only family he has left. I think they have a right to be here."

Wally hoped J'onn did not read his mind. He was telling the half truth. He had to convince Dick to come.

J'onn stared at him for a second but then bowed.

"Yes I suppose, tell them to come in."

Flash walked over and opened the door to find Dick and Barbara looking around unsure.

"You guys can come in…"Wally said. He had no idea what to say to prepare them for what they were about to see.

Slowly, Dick and Barbara walked in. When Barbara caught sight of Bruce's battered lifeless body, she let out a cry.

"Bruce!" she shouted and rushed to his side. She immediately grabbed his one arm that was not wrapped in a sling. Holding his hand with both of hers, fighting back the tears.

Dick just stood there, his expression unreadable. It was a miracle he wasn't puking. The sight of Bruce lying there beaten, broken, and alone sickened him greatly. He never wished this would happen to Bruce.

Silently he made his way to Barbara and bowed his head as he gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

For a while Flash and J'onn just stood there watching the two former Batclan members grieve over their mentor's body. Wally was surprised to see a tear was streaming down Dick's face.

"Who did this?" Dick said turning around. "Where's Bane? I want to talk to him!"

Wally put a hand up.

"Green Lantern and Hawkgirl already talked to him. He wasn't the master mind behind this. It was Doctor Destiny," he explained. Dick's eyes darted toward J'onn.

"Is he still in Batman's head?"

"Technically I guess you could say that. He is more attacking Batman's emotional center rather than the rational part right now."

"Can you get him out?"

J'onn paused; he did not want to lie.

"I don't know. Not without killing Batman," J'onn said softly.

Barbara let out another sob and Dick bowed his head. Intense feelings of regret were hitting him like a freight train.

How did he let this happen? How?

It seemed like hours that the two Batclan members were just staring at what was left of their mentor before Wally asked them to leave so J'onn could try to reach Batman again.

The minute the doors closed behind them, Dick spoke.

"You need to take me back to Gotham."

"Dick," Barbara replied, she knew he was grieving and trying to find a way to cope. He could be so much like Bruce sometimes.

"Babs, the Gotham underworld is probably thinking Batman's dead and they'll probably be going crazy tonight. Gotham needs someone to let them know the city isn't theirs again."

Barbara swallowed. He had a point.

"You are not going alone then," she replied.

Dick sighed, "Barbara. Your mother just lost your dad. She doesn't need you to get hurt!"

"That doesn't mean you should be the one to go out and risk your neck!"

"I got no one! You still have people looking after you!"

"GUYS!" Wally shouted. Both Barbara and Dick looked at the speedster with surprise.

"I think we can reach a compromise here. What if we were to bring a few leaguers to help out in Gotham with Dick? That way he is not alone by himself."

"I don't think we should bring metas, you know how Bruce is about that. Even in the current situation I think we should respect that…"

"I am not talking about super power people. The League has a lot of non super power people."

Dick sighed, he was losing this argument.

"Who did you have in mind?"

Wally paused, "Well there's Huntress. I mean she's not in the League anymore but her husband is so she would probably help since she used to live in Gotham. In fact her husband can probably help as well. There's Ollie too!"

"Ollie?"

"Green Arrow. That's what Dinah calls him. Hey, she can help too! I know she has a superpower but she's operated in Gotham before and I am sure Batman would not mind."

Dick sighed, Wally was making a point.

"Fine. Take me back to Bludhaven now though. I want to be ready to go by nightfall. Can you contact them on the javelin?"

Wally nodded. The two looked at Barbara.

"I will stay here. In case something happens. Just be careful Dick," she said softly and kissed him on the cheek. Wally saw Dick blush a little.

"Let's go," Dick muttered embarrassed and led Wally away.

Barbara sighed and leaned against the wall. She knew if Dick got killed trying to patrol Gotham and Bruce woke up, Bruce would probably never forgive himself again.

"Be safe Dick," she whispered to herself.

00000

Lobo was on the phone in his favorite bar haggling with one of his regular clients.

"Naw I'm serious man! I gotcha a real transconsciousmajingy. I'm lookin' at it right now!" he half-lied. He was not actually looking at it at the moment because he had kept it hidden until he could find a suitable buyer.

"Only a thousand? Go frag yourself!" Lobo yelled and ended the call, laughing.

He would have easily accepted a thousand for the transconscious articulator. In the business he was in though, he knew it was never wise to show your hand. Always keep the buyer on edge.

"Get me 'nother one!" the Czarnian burped at the bartender. Life was good for him.

By fencing this machine he could probably afford to take a long vacation. A very long vacation. The only thing was he needed to find a suitable buyer. Maybe have an auction for it soon.


	12. The Last Option

_One week later._

Bludhaven was notorious for making even Gotham in its mob years look like the safest place to live. However for this week it seemed Gotham was giving Bludhaven a run for its money. To say crime had skyrocketed in Gotham was an understatement. It was a war zone.

Upon news of Batman being taken down, criminals became bolder, more willing to take risks. The idea there was no longer a Bat to terrorize them gave them all a false sense of security.

"What I don't get is why the hell has crime gone up even though you got half the Justice League roster stepping in!" bemoaned Bullock as he and Nightwing had busted a bank robbery.

Dick sighed.

"It's not so much the size but the numbers. Batman was able to get around by his reputation alone. Now that he's gone, they all think there's a power vacuum and have gotten bolder. Crime probably will die down in a few weeks when they realize how many of us are patrolling the streets," Nightwing tried to explain.

"Ya better hope so. I might have to call for the National Guard!"

Dick sighed. He respected Bullock right now. The man had a lot of pressure on his plate and was still handling the crisis quite well. But without Batman, Gotham was not the same. Criminals just were not afraid anymore.

Bullock continued to talk.

"So who do you think helped these bozos out? They don't look bright enough to change a light bulb on their own, let alone pull off a heist…"

But at the moment Bullock realized he was talking to thin air. Like his mentor, Nightwing had disappeared as well.

"Goddamnit!" Bullock shouted angrily. He was really getting pissed at these disappearing acts.

00000

Dick chuckled a little when he heard Bullock swore as he moved along the roof top he had grappled onto. Pausing, Dick let out a soft sigh. He never really felt as small as he did right now. It seemed no matter how much effort that he and the others had made in patrolling Gotham, they had not made that much of an impact. As soon as one crook was taken down, another took its place.

Was this how Bruce felt? This slow gnawing feeling that all he fought for was for nothing?

A buzz on the radio in his ear got his attention.

"Nightwing," he replied into it.

"Hey Dick, it's Arrow. We're all going to rendezvous at the clock tower to update each other in a half hour."

"Sounds good, meet you there."

Nightwing spread his wings and took off into the night. He decided to patrol around the East End to kill some time before he would meet up with his fellow vigilantes.

But strangely for once, the East End seemed quiet tonight. Had that much changed since he left the batclan three years ago? Deciding to find a nice rooftop to settle to get a better view around the East End, he descended his flight and landed softly on top of an abandoned building.

The roof was deserted and quiet, much like the East End. Too quiet.

Dick suddenly turned around and managed to grab an arm that was wrapped in skintight leather. However he soon received a kick to the face.

"Ow!"

"Bird boy should know better than try playing with a cat," said a seductive female voice.

"Selina?" Dick asked getting to his feet quickly. Catwoman was always good at a hand to hand fight.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight," Selina responded, dropping the flirtatious tone in her voice.

"Then what, steal stuff? I hardly doubt there's something valuable in this building," Dick responded as he took a look at Selina. She still was wearing the same leather costume that he last saw her in. She still had a very attractive figure as well. The skin tight leather really did show off her great body…

"Hey, I'm right here," she snapped with her fingers.

"I wasn't checking you out, I was making sure you don't have any weapons," Dick defended himself.

Selina responded with producing her whip and snapping at him. However Dick's reflexes were too quick and he caught it in his right hand.

Selina grinned and purred a little.

"Not bad, not bad at all," she said before relaxing her stance. Dick however opted to keep a serious look at her.

"What do you want Selina?"

At that moment, Catwoman did something Dick did not expect. She sighed, sadly.

"I wanted to talk to you about…_him_."

Dick softened his glare.

"How is he?" she asked showing much concern. "Is he alive?"

"Uh…yea," Dick said with a little discomfort. He never saw Selina like this; so caring and considerate to another human being, let alone Batman.

"But then why is he not back in Gotham? I called his office and they are saying Bruce Wayne is on vacation in the Bahamas. I know he uses that excuse when he's seriously injured."

"He's in a coma right now," Dick explained without giving away too many details. "I have no idea if he will wake up."

Selina lowered her head. At that moment Dick did not know why but he felt the need to open up to her. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who he knew would not go out of their way telling him what to do or try to help them. He just needed someone to listen.

"It's all my fault. I should have been there."

Selina was taken aback that Nightwing had let his guard down in front of her like this. She was still not a total new leaf and should not be fully trusted. Unsure she walked up and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. He was not done venting yet.

"And the thing that bugs me the most, I told him I hated him the last time I talked to him. I told him he was a sick basturd who would die alone! And the worst part is I meant it! Now he is on the verge of dying and yet for some reason the idea of him dying alone now terrifies me!"

Selina sighed and sat on the ledge next to Dick.

"Funny thing is, I said something similar not too long ago."

Dick gave her a questioning look. Selina had taken off her mask revealing her now short hair.

"I visited him when he was visiting his parents' graves last week. I tried to see if he loved me enough to trust me so I sort of tricked him. At first I was angry when I found out he still did not trust me. But now looking back, I do not blame him. I don't deserve it. It's just I couldn't keep up the game anymore. I needed to know if we were going anywhere. Sadly that day told me weren't."

Dick was surprised that Catwoman was being this emotional in front of him. Grief does mysterious things to people.

"The last thing I said to him was that I was worried he was going to die alone. It's funny, we are so eager to point out how he pushes us away and will die alone, yet we make no real effort to try to stay with him. Maybe the fault is with us just as much."

Dick sighed and got up. He needed to make it to the rendezvous point soon.

"Would you like to come to the Metro to see him?"

Selina sighed.

"I believe it is not in good taste if I did. It would set a bad example with my spotty reputation."

"Not true, he would want you to be there."

Selina shrugged. "Maybe he would, but that ship has set sail long ago. Maybe if he somehow comes back against all odds like he always does, there is still an opportunity to be friends. We both broke each others' hearts though. There's no going back now."

Dick shook his head. What was he doing? Talking to a jewel thief about Batman and how sorry they were that they were for hurting him? If someone told him he would be doing something like that a few weeks ago, he would have laughed.

"Anyways I got to get going. In case you haven't notice, I've been patrolling the East End while you goodie-goodies are tied up downtown. Don't worry, this is Catwoman's territory. I'll keep it safe until Bruce comes back," she explained as she put her mask back on before diving into the night.

Dick just stood dumbfounded. The whole world had been turned upside down in the matter of seconds.

However he did not have much time to reflect because he heard Arrow calling on the commlink.

"Nightwing this Arrow," he heard Oliver said.

"I'm on my way. Sorry, just got tied down for a second," Dick tried to explain.

"Don't worry about the rendezvous. Mister Terrific called and has requested to teleport you to the Metro Tower."

Dick's heart paused for a second.

"Why?"

"He didn't say. He just said it's urgent. All he needs is for you to turn to the Justice League frequency."

"Got it," Dick said nervously as he changed it. What had happened?

Within seconds he felt his molecules be torn apart and reassembled as he was on the Metro Tower teleporter.

Mister Terrific had finally managed to repair the teleporter's last night for both the Metro and Watchtower. However the Metro Tower was still off limits to everyone, even the civilian staff now.

The founders wanted to keep a tight lid on Batman's condition. They did not want to cause a panic over Doctor Destiny. The only members allowed in the Metro now were the founders and Dick. Barbara was an exception because she would often come to visit Batman the past week and stay at his side for a while, just holding his hand. J'onn meanwhile had been in charge of Batman's medical care as well as trying to free him from Doctor Destiny's control.

Dick found himself alone in the Metro Tower atrium. It was very unnerving. Thankfully a familiar voice was brought to his ears.

"They are in the conference room waiting for you Dick," he heard Barbara.

He turned and saw her on the other side of the atrium.

"They told me to let you know," she said in a tired voice.

"Babs, when was the last time you slept?"

"I'm fine," she said. She then tried to change the subject.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of Tim still. I don't think he cares," she said sadly.

They had been trying to call Tim to tell him to come visit Bruce, but for some reason he was not answering their calls.

"He's just being stubborn. He'll come around," Dick said in an attempt to make her feel better. He was not so sure about Tim, just as he was not sure if Bruce was going to make it.

Deciding he should get going, he left the atrium and headed to the conference room where all the founders were waiting. He was nervous with anticipation. He had a feeling on what they might be talking about in this meeting but he was hoping against hope that he was wrong. They can't have given up yet. Not just yet.

When he entered the room, he was somewhat relieved he was not the only one nervous. Wally was sitting in the corner by himself silently and holding still in contrast to his usual hyperactive nature. Shayera was twitching in her seat while her husband kept an impassive face. Superman was at the other end of the table, his head bowed down. Dick was pretty sure he didn't even notice he was there.

Lastly there was Diana who sat quietly at her seat. Dick could tell she was trying hard to not show fear or nervousness. It was her warrior pride.

"Oh Dick. Glad you are here, take a seat," Superman said when he finally looked up from his hands.

Dick chose to stand.

"Why am I here?" he demanded.

Superman sighed.

"J'onn asked all of us to come meet him here. He has some important news."

"Indeed I do," said the deep voice of the Martian who had just entered the room. His blank face difficult to read. All eyes were on J'onn now. The ball was in his court. Sighing J'onn paused to think. When he seemed to have found what to say, he began to speak.

"I have brought you all here because we right now have face a difficult choice. I have brought Nightwing here as well because I feel like his input matters in how we should proceed next."

"Proceed?" asked Dick. He did not like where this was going.

J'onn could tell Dick had a feeling what he was going to say next. It did not make it an easier.

"We need to consider the options. If Doctor Destiny fully consumes Batman's emotional core, he will not only be back in the physical realm. But his powers will have grown beyond what we can imagine. He could be unstoppable."

"Well, try harder then!" Dick demanded angrily, not giving J'onn the opportunity to explain what solution he was about to give.

"J'onn what's going on?" Superman asked nervously. Like Dick he was picking up a bad feeling of what J'onn was going to say.

"I have tried for a whole week but it is no use. Doctor Destiny cannot be taken out by me. He is too deep into Batman's heart. The only thing keeping him alive right now though is Batman. If we were to cut off that supply from him, we might be able to-"

"You can't be serious!" cried Superman angrily. "You can't have given up now!"

"What is he talking about?" Flash asked confused.

"He wants to pull the plug on batman to stop Doctor Destiny!" Dick explained angrily.

"What?" Flash asked looking at J'onn with a little shock in his eyes.

"He has a point," John said. That earned a glare from Shayera.

"After we gave up on him once, you want to do it again now?" she cried angrily to her husband.

"You have to think about the future Shayera! The greater good! Do you think he would have wanted us to allow Doctor Destiny to be around to terrorize and murder people because we couldn't let him go? Think about the bigger picture Shy! What about Rex?"

"Don't you dare bring up in this!" she shrieked and stood up, ready to swing her mace at him.

"ENOUGH!" cried a female voice on the other end of the room. The quarreling heroes all stopped to look at the source. It was Diana. She had remained quiet the whole meeting so far.

"We need to consider the options. Letting Batman die might be the only way to save many lives," she said. They could all tell it pained her to admit it though.

"However," she said and looked at J'onn. "After everything that has happened, for the better or worse, I still think Batman deserves that we at least exhaust every other option before we go down that path of letting him die."

She then looked at J'onn directly into his eyes.

"J'onn, are you sure there is no other way?' she asked. They all could feel the subtle plea in her voice even though they knew she would never admit it.

J'onn paused, before speaking.

"There is another option. A dangerous one. One I do not think it will guarantee our safety or that we will be successful."

"What is it?" asked Superman. He would put his own life at risk now for Batman.

"We could journey into Batman's heart," J'onn explained.

The founders expressed confusion.

"Look I heard you say heart a lot lately but I thought that was just a metaphor…" Flash said, still trying to wrap his brain around the concepts J'onn was telling them.

"What you usually refer to as the heart in the metaphorical sense actually refers to the emotional center of the mind," J'onn explained. "Humans and sentient beings have their minds divided into two parts, the rational and the emotional. Telepaths like me usually communicate and read through the rational part. The emotional part runs much deeper and is more complex and chaotic. That is why it's hard for telepaths to communicate to animals since they only possess an emotional mind."

"So wait. You are talking about going inside Batman's emotions? Do you realize how scary that sounds? I mean this is Batman! God knows what he feels underneath that cold demeanor!" Flash replied.

"You got a better idea?" Dick snapped angrily at Wally, causing the speedster to shut up.

J'onn nodded. "Yes, that is why Doctor Destiny chose to attack Batman. Due to Batman being so guarded in his emotions and rarely releasing them, it has essentially given Doctor Destiny a stronger power source than he could have gotten from attacking one of us. Also the usually more guarded and powerful the emotions are, the more difficult it is to navigate through them. It is why Doctor Destiny is taking a while to completely consume Batman's heart. It will be a long time, but not too long when he will have absorb all the power he needs and kill Batman."

"Well then let's go! If there is a chance to save Batman we must go immediately before Doctor Destiny succeeds!" cried Superman, ready to call it for a vote.

J'onn sighed.

"It's not that simple. To allow all of us to be able to permanently travel along the emotional plane we will need some device."

"What like a dream machine," John replied sarcastically.

J'onn actually nodded to the surprise to the Green Lantern.

"You could say that. It's called a transconscious articulator. It's Martian technology. We used it for therapy but also allowed us to examine each other's minds into the deeper emotional level. If program right, we might have a chance to save Batman's soul."

"You got one then?" Dick asked hopefully.

J'onn looked at the heroes in front of him.

"No," he said which caused a lot of looks of disappointment.

"But I do know who has one, or at least knows where we can find one."

"Who?" Superman asked.

J'onn looked at the Kryptonian before lowering his head.

"You aren't going to like this part…"


	13. Lobo's Offer

**Do appreciate reviews. Also I have already published the first chapters to my Batman origin story and Arkham story for the FFDCU on the Batman fanfiction archive. Check it out or go to my profile to read it if you want to see some new interesting takes on the Batman universe.**

"Yea got one right here! I'm putting it on the market next week! You better have a lot of cash! Alotta buyers are interested!" Lobo explained to another client on the phone as he was on his Space Hog. Like his bike, his phone was not at all affected by the vacuum of space.

An orange light started to glow on the Hog.

"Well gotta go! Looks like I gotta job to do!"

And with that Lobo hit a button on his bike and began to speed away to the source of whoever was calling him.

000000

Dick and the founders minus Wally, who was communicating with Mister Terrific, all stood on the roof of the Metro Tower. None of them were looking forward to having to bargain with Lobo, but it was that or let Batman die. It was put to a vote among the six founders and Dick, representing Batman's vote. Surprisingly, it was all unanimous, even John.

John may have had his disagreements with Bruce, but if there was a chance they could save him, he would do it. Soldiers never leave a man behind. Of course John like Diana and the Martian understood that if they were not successful, they would have to pull the plug on Batman for the greater good. But as long as there was another way to save him, John was going to support the League in doing it. Even if it meant he would be risking his life.

"Are you sure he is coming?" John asked angrily.

J'onn gave an impassive stare.

"It says to dial this number on the card and he'll be here," J'onn explained. He was not even sure why he kept Lobo's card but was glad he had it now.

"But we've been here for five hours!" Dick complained.

J'onn sighed. He really did not want to have to deal with the crude bounty hunter but there was no other way. It was that or give up on Batman. Ever since he suggested it at the last meeting, the rest of the founders and Nightwing were all looking at him differently. They were shocked out of all people to suggest letting Batman die to stop Doctor Destiny, it was him.

Did they not forget he was the last surviving Martian of a war? He was a soldier once. He had to make tough decisions before. But that was the thing. No one understood him. Maybe Clark and Diana a little, but other than that, no one fully could feel what he did. He felt what everyone could feel, but no one could understand what he felt. None of them were telepaths. He was cursed to forever be alone.

The sound of a bike roaring in the sky caused the waiting heroes to all look up.

"He's here."

Lobo came flying through on his bike and landed on the roof, not too gently. He skidded across the roof so fast that Superman and Shayera had to dive to get out of the way. Finally at the edge of the roof his momentum stopped. He quickly got off the bike, not even apologizing for nearly taking out half of them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Justice Geeks!"

Superman took charge.

"We need to talk Lobo-"

Lobo interrupted laughing rudely.

"Oh I see how it is. Ya ask for my help and I give it to ya and when ya don't need me ya kick me out! Well not this time! I'm done doing ya all any more favors!"

"We didn't ask for your help last time!" John replied angrily. He really despised Lobo's arrogance.

"Oh so you wanna fight pipsqueak? Well why don't I come over there and shove that shiny thing up you're a-"

However Lobo did not get to finish his remark because he received a full blow to the face by a mace.

"I'm sick and tired of this!" Shayera yelled. "We're wasting time!"

"Ok that's it, now I'm kinda mad!" Lobo replied and got to his feet ready to fight.

J'onn and Superman stood between Lobo and Shayera, preventing the two from getting at each other.

"Lobo!" J'onn yelled. "You said you would be willing to work for us on a job, half-price!" J'onn shouted waving the card Lobo gave him. That calmed the alien down a little.

"The Main Man's always his word, and even after you all mistreated me, I will still be willing to work for ya. What's the job?"

Superman decided to explain.

"Well it's more that we want to know if you know where the transconscious articulator that you took-"

"Bought!" Lobo corrected angrily.

Superman closed his eyes in frustration.

"Look we just need to know what you did with it!"

"Why? You interested in buying it?"

"You still got it?" asked Dick. Maybe luck would be at his side.

"Why? What's in it for me?" Lobo grinned greedily.

However he was picked up by the collar by Diana. She was glaring at him. As an Amazon it was beneath her to negotiate with trash like this. They were running out of time and they were getting stalled because of him?

"How about it saves you from a beating?" Diana whispered angrily, her old temper resurfacing.

"Diana!" Superman said with alarm while Shayera cheered the Amazon on.

"You want to play rough? I like it rough girlie!" Lobo taunted, daring the Amazon.

That was it for Diana and Shayera. Diana punched the Czarnian that he was sent flying to the other side of the roof. He would have fallen over if Shayera had not flown ahead and swung him back with her mace like a baseball.

Lobo landed back on the middle of the roof with a thud. His red eyes glowed angrily.

"That's it. No more Mister Nice Guy!"

And before they could react, Lobo had sprung to his feet and taken off his already torn leather jacket.

"Come at me bro!" Lobo called at Superman even though the Kryptonian was not one of the people to hit him earlier.

Diana and Shayera jumped at him with aggressive fury which Lobo happily returned with glee. Superman tried to break it up but was soon suck into the fray as well. Dick was not even sure if they were all fighting Lobo. It seemed that everybody was punching, kicking, and beating anything they could hit. Green Lantern was trying to use his ring to break up the fight but it was too chaotic for him to time it right.

"_THAT"S ENOUGH!"_ screamed a loud voice in everyone's heads that caused them all to cringe and cover their ears. J'onn had shouted telepathically.

Calmly J'onn walked up to Lobo.

"Lobo we need the machine, please," he begged.

"What do ya need it for?" Lobo asked curiously.

J'onn sighed. Better tell the truth, maybe it would melt the thug's cruel heart.

"Batman was attacked by a telepath and we need the machine to allow us to enter the dream plane so we can free his emotional center."

"What?" Lobo asked confused.

"Lobo. Please, you were saying you would work for half price well we would consider it if you gave us the transconscious articulator to be a fair trade."

"Fair?" shouted Lobo, crossing his arms and laughing. "I have been offered so much for it on the black market. Why should I give it to you when you can't even match half the price the initial bid is?"

"Because not everything is money. There is something else I am sure you want as well. Maybe we can reach a deal here," J'onn said coolly.

"_What are you doing?"_ Superman asked telepathically.

"_Negotiating,"_ J'onn said in Superman's head.

Lobo paused and looked like he was in deep thought. Lord knows what the bounty hunter valued over money.

"Ya know Martian man, ya not as dumb as ya look!"

J'onn ignored the insult.

"What do you want?"

Lobo grinned and walked to pick up his jacket, which he slowly put back on.

"I want three things, all three of them. Take it or leave it!"

Superman sighed.

"What are they?" the Man of Steel asked with reluctance.

"First, I am just letting ya guys borrow it. I get to keep it after ya done with it so I can sell it."

Everyone looked around. They all agreed they could live with that.

"The second term?" Superman asked a little more nervous. Lobo had a manic glee in his eye.

"I wanna join the Justice League!"

"You can't be serious," cried Dick. This psychopath protecting other? The world would be screwed.

"What on earth would you want to do that? In case you haven't noticed this job doesn't pay as well as your other jobs!" Shayera sneered at him.

Lobo scoffed.

"Where else can ya legally beat people up and be loved for it?" Lobo replied happily.

"The League is not about fighting, but peace!" Diana cried incredulously.

"Yea whatever. Look either you let me join your little club or no deal."

Superman sighed, letting Lobo join the League would be the equivalent of unleashing every prisoner in the Phantom Zone. But Batman's life was the more immediate priority at the moment. They could worry about Lobo later.

"Deal," Superman said begrudgingly causing many of the heroes to look at Superman with alarm.

"Superman, are you sure?" asked John apprehensively.

Superman nodded.

Lobo chuckled. "See I knew ya would see stuff my way. But I still got one more thing!"

"What is it this time?"

It couldn't be as bad as letting him join the League. Or could it?

"Well ya see I wanna guarantee ya guys don't break the transconscious oscillator thingy and sense we are gonna be working together I guess this would also be a good time to start as a team…"

"What do you want Lobo?" Superman asked impatiently even though he had a feeling where Lobo was getting at.

"Ya all are taking me with ya on your dream mission thing!" Lobo demanded.


	14. Reflections

**Thanks to those who are sticking with this story. And RKF22 I do appreciate how you review every chapter but I would like to see if you could expand it beyond great update. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

00000

Shayera sat in the rocking chair in Rex's room on the Watchtower as she cooed Rex to sleep. Tomorrow she and the rest of the founders plus two more would be going to a dark place. She might not ever see him again. She did not doubt her own abilities to survive, but still. Being a mother now made her worried more.

Rex giggled a little in his sleep and began to slurp on her top. She sighed and slowly got up to place him the crib.

"Good night my little angel," she whispered softly before kissing him on the forehead.

She exited his room and made for hers but she ran into John on the way.

"Hello John," she said in an icy voice as her face flushed a little with red.

"Shayera," John replied. "Is he…"

"I just put him to bed. Don't wake him up."

"I just want to kiss him good night," John said and entered the room. Shayera sighed.

She and John had big argument after they interrogated Bane. Shayera, frustrated by her husband's lack of concern he was showing to Batman, had kicked him out of the room. He could sleep in the Metro for all she cared. She did not want to share a bed with him until he learned what she had an issue with. He seemed quick to forgive her when she betrayed the League and yet why was he too proud to do it for Batman? Did he really forgive her for betraying the League or was he just putting it aside to love here?

Regardless, she could not share a bed with him until she knew he actually forgiven her. She allowed him to visit Rex but that was it.

0000

John sighed as he heard the doors closed behind him. He slowly crept to his son's crib. Silently he just stood there awhile watching his son murmur in his sleep. He slowly began to tousle Rex's hair. He was already getting big.

John then looked up to stare at his own reflection and saw his glowing green eyes staring back.

Earlier he had given Mister Terrific a DVD. Mister Terrific, due to his skills and position, was one of the few aware of the top secret mission they were about to embark. Due to the danger of the mission, John knew there was a chance he would not come back. So he made sure to leave behind a DVD of himself instructing his son how to do certain things like shave, play football, the sex talk. Everything a boy would need his father to talk about.

But most important John touched on in the DVD was how to love a woman. He recorded himself describing how he had fallen in love with his son's mother and still loved her. Even though they were fighting right now, John in his heart always loved her still. He had forgiven her for her betrayal long before they got back together. It just took him a while to admit he loved her again was what stopped him for getting back together with her.

John sighed again. He still was not sure why Shayera was mad at him.

He thought it was because he was not one of the biggest supporters of Batman but it seemed to be something different. The past week John had been wondering in jealousy. Did something happen between Shayera and Batman when he was dating Vixen?

Sure Batman at the time was trying to deny his thing with Diana when he was on the League, but still, Shayera and Batman did seem to grow a little closer…

No must not think those thoughts right now. He was spending what might be the last few moments with his son.

After a while John left sadly to find the hallway empty and Shayera had gone back to her own room. He was tempting to knock on the door and talk to her, but now would not be the time. They had bigger things to worry about.

The irony was not lost on John. He was not the biggest fan of Batman and yet he was willing to risk his own life to save him. The value of brotherhood the military had taught him was still in him. Batman was once a comrade and soldiers never give up on each other.

00000

Clark sat in his bed holding Lois tightly in his arms. He just wanted to hold her. No fancy dinner, no passionate night. Nothing but just holding her in his arms softly.

He was just staring in the ceiling with his blue eyes while tightly holding his fiancé.

Lois began to stir.

"Wh-what time is it?" she yawned.

"One in the morning. Go back to sleep," he whispered softly.

"I could say the same for you," she said and placed an arm across his chest.

"I'll be fine," he remarked.

Lois sighed and kissed her fiancé on the cheek.

"I know you're scared. It's okay."

Clark did not say anything and continued to sit in solemn silence.

"You know you don't have to do this."

Clark finally looked at her in the eyes.

"I have to. Besides I thought you wanted me to bring Bruce back."

"Yea but that is different. I wanted you to talk to him because he is your friend."

"Lois. I need to do this. I abandoned him."

"I just want to know you are doing this because he is your friend. If you are, I understand and fully support you. I just don't want you to risk your life out of misplaced sense of guilt."

Clark did not respond but just gave cold silence. He was not sure the answer was either. Was he really doing it because Bruce was his friend or was he doing it because he felt guilty?

"Get some sleep Clark," she replied a little coldly before rolling over out of his arms and going back to sleep.

Clark knew better to not try to embrace her again.

00000

Wally sat in the kitchen plowing through ice cream. Of course his high metabolism required him to consume large amounts of food, but he always ate ice cream for other reasons as well.

It helped him cope whenever he was scared.

As much as he always tried to play off as the confident Flash always cracking a joke, he was always hurting. He did it to hide how really scared he was. A superhero was not supposed to feel scared like a kid. But Wally West was scared.

Scared he was not going to come back, but also scared if they failed. What would happen to Batman? What would happen if Doctor Destiny succeeded? He didn't deserve to wear the uniform. He was a coward.

"Wally?" said Linda in a tired voice as she entered the kitchen. She was wearing a bright yellow robe. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah Linda. Just getting a midnight snack," he lied.

Linda smiled softly and did not buy it.

Instead she walked over and took the ice cream bucket from him and started to eat out of it.

"I thought you were watching your weight?" Wally half teased in attempt to lighten up the mood.

Linda glared and punched him in the shoulder.

"Just kidding," Wally winced while smiling.

"I know you're scared Wally. I would be too. No one would blame you. But you have pulled yourself out of tight spots before. If there is anyone I know that will make it, it's you."

Wally felt a little better. Thank God for Linda. The young couple spent the rest of the night eating ice cream and talking. It did make Wally feel a lot more confident in himself.

000000

Barbara and Dick sat in the Manor. Since Bruce was not there to man it, Dick and Barbara had taken up residence there so they could cover for Bruce. They already put out the cover story but still. It was never good to leave the Manor, let alone the batcave abandoned.

Dick was pacing back and forth in the living room on a faded yellow rug. Barbara sighed as she sat on the couch.

He so reminded her of Bruce. If only they could see it.

"I still think I should come with you," she replied a little angrily.

"Someone needs to manage the batcave if we don't succeed. Plus we need someone to tell the world Bruce Wayne died if we-we"

But Barbara knew what he was trying to say. Dick did not want to say if they failed.

"I know you are scared that you will not make it Dick but you will. I have faith."

Dick ignored the encouraging words.

"Babs. I'm going to be honest. I don't think I'm going to make it back."

"Then why are you going…"

"Because I have to! I don't know why but I do!" Dick explained angrily. He had been asking himself that question for a while. Why was he risking his life to save Batman? It should have been Barbara. She had the most contact with Bruce after the incident with Tim.

Barbara however was not petty like that. She instead got up and placed a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"Dick. I have faith in you. You will make it," she said even though she wanted to come. Dick would not allow it. And Dick was right. Someone needed to make sure Bruce's secret would die with him. If Batman's secret identity was leaked to the public, it would ruin the whole image of Batman. Batman was supposed to be nameless, incorruptible. Someone needed to be around to make sure Batman stayed a legend.

And she knew Dick would not do it. She knew him. Even when he was scared, he could never sit by while others died. It was part of his character.

"I'll see you in the morning," Dick replied, taking her hand off his shoulder and made his way upstairs.

Barbara sat back down and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number she had been dialing all week. No one picked up and the phone went straight to voicemail.

Tim must have gotten Caller ID now. Barbara sighed. Maybe she would have better luck reaching him tomorrow.

000000

Lobo belched loudly as he attached the machine to his Hog. He then started it up. The orange light begin to glow and he took off. He shouldn't have drunk so much before riding but who cares. He was on the Justice League now. He could do whatever he wanted and said it was League business.

He was surprise they did not have little badges or something. It would be pretty cool. It would make his life easier. Not that his life was not already awesome. He was Lobo and the chicks loved him. Being in the League was not really improving his life per se, but was just making it more awesome than it already was.

Or that was what at least he felt.

After this mission he was going to sell the machine and go on a vacation somewhere. Maybe even earth. Maybe find a nice beach with some hot babes to bake in the sun.

God he loved his life. It was awesome. He wouldn't trade it for anything else.

He began to hum a happy he tune as he sped across space to Earth. Maybe get a bite to eat on the way.

00000

J'onn sat in the Metro Tower Med Bay. He looked at Batman's lifeless body as he set the machine.

If the League did not survive this mission, they knew they had no other choice. Batman would have to die. But if they were not around to pull the plug, they were doomed. That was why J'onn was programming the machine that Bruce was hooked on for life support.

J'onn knew it would take about a week for Doctor Destiny to fully consume Batman's soul. So he set the machine to shut down in a week. It would also give Bruce a lethal injection so he would not starve or die of thirst. None of the League knew about this, J'onn kept this off the table. None of them would had approved of it.

The machine beeped signaling the program was set. J'onn sighed sadly. He had officially put Bruce's life on the clock. The Justice League had a week to save him before he died. It was for the greater good of the world.

J'onn walked out of the Med Bay, he needed some time to be alone.

Exiting the hallway J'onn explored the empty tower. The founders still banned anyone from entering the Tower other than them, Dick or Lobo. Mister Terrific knew of their mission but respected the decision. J'onn told Mister Terrific to send a team town to the Metro if the League did not hear from them in a week.

A week.

That's all they had. A week.

A week to succeed. A week to stop Doctor Destiny. A week to save Batman. A week to save the world.

J'onn sighed and made his way to the roof to look out the stars. The sky was still black, but at the horizon, J'onn could see a faint indigo color. The sun would rise soon.

He really was alone. But it was for the best. He needed to make the difficult decision.

J'onn was not happy with himself at all. He had essentially killed Batman. It went against everything he fought for the past years. But he was also the last survivor of a war. He had made difficult decisions and sacrifices before.

Besides he knew that Bruce would not want to be kept alive if it meant unleashing a monster like Doctor Destiny on the world.

Easy for Bruce though. He never had to sacrifice his own morality for the greater good. J'onn envied his friend for a second. Sacrificing your own life seemed easier than sacrificing your principles for the greater good.

00000

Diana and Tom sat on the balcony of her apartment quietly, watching the sun rise. They were both used to working late hours and did not mind staying up together. Both were aware of the dangerous mission she was undertaking soon. They both wanted to spend time as much as they could together.

Tom sighed before speaking, ending the silence.

"Did you ever think about having kids?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I just feel like I jumped the gun a little too early by proposing to you. I didn't even ask if you had plans for the future. I was just curious."

Diana smiled.

"Tom you did not jump the gun. I would give you an answer right now except I can't until this thing with Batman is over. I'm sorry but it's just bad taste right now."

"But can you at least give me a hint?" Tom teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Diana leaned in and kissed Tom on the lips.

"But that would spoil the surprise."

Tom was speechless for a second. Even though that did not confirm anything, Tom's heart was pounding. She was going to say yes. She will say yes, as soon as she finished this mission.

Diana could tell what Tom was thinking and laughed to herself. She wanted to say yes too. It made sense. They were compatible and truly loved each other. But she just could not in good conscience give an answer until she and the League saved Batman or stopped Doctor Destiny. She was not sure why, but she just couldn't.

"And to answer your question, I never really thought about kids. I'm not sure if I even can have any, being from clay and what not."

Tom laughed at her joke.

"We can always adopt."

"But I heard it's a long process."

Tom shook his head. "With my job and your job, there are perks to it. The adoption agency will see us as a perfect couple."

Diana did smile again. It did make her feel more hope.

"If you had a child, what would you name it?" Diana asked curiously.

Tom smiled sheepishly.

"Thomas," he muttered quietly.

Diana snorted. "Why are men so egotistical?"

"Hey, my father's name was Thomas Tresser and so was his father! It's a tradition!"

Diana laughed. She loved teasing him.

"But how do you know you are going to have a son? What if you had a little girl?"

"Well I always liked the name Charlene. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What would you name your kids if you had any?"

Diana paused. She never really thought about having kids. Let alone a son.

"I don't know about a boy. I guess I still have some Amazon in me so I can't pick a name for a boy. If I had a girl I would probably name her Athena. She's the goddess of wisdom and I always loved the name."

"How about if we ever get married and have a baby, we'll name the baby Thomas if it's a boy and Athena if it's a girl?"

"You assume a lot, Mr. Tresser," Diana flirted. "You still don't know my answer yet."

"I know but I'm just planning. Can't help it can I?"

Diana smiled. She looked back into the horizon. The sky was violet now. In a manner of seconds the sun would rise. She grabbed Tom's hand again and lowered her head on his shoulder.

"I love you Diana," he whispered.

"I love you too Tom," she said as the sun made its way up.


	15. Into the Abyss

**This chapter is long but I might not be able to update for the next few days so I decided to add as much as I could to keep you all interested. Reviews always welcome.**

J'onn fiddled with the machine while the Justice League stood by watching. Lobo meanwhile had opened a can of what appeared to be beer and was gulping it down.

"Come already! Don't got all day losers!" Lobo cried impatiently.

J'onn shot an angry look at the Czarnian. He was amazed that Lobo had managed to bring the machine to earth relatively unharmed, except for an occasional dent along the side.

The machine itself was not too big. It was cylindrical, about ten feet high. It had a radius of about six feet. On one side there were two doors that slid open to reveal the inside of the machine. Surprisingly it was empty. It looked more like a storage unit than a machine. The doors were currently closed now.

"Uh J'onn, I don't think we're going to fit in there. Not counting Supes and Lobo, it's going to be pretty tight," Wally complained.

J'onn ignored him. It had been ages since he used one of these machines so he was a little rusty. It was making him feel a little frustrated. They were on a time crunch.

Diana slowly walked up to J'onn and gently placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

J'onn looked and gave a brief smile to her.

"I'm fine Diana. I just got to connect it to the emotional plane, and then to Batman."

Batman was still in the Med Bay. One of the perks about the transconscious articulator was it could work long range. That way they did not have to try to fit the machine into the Med Bay or take Batman out of it.

Superman had walked up as well to the Martian after having been standing silently in the corner for a while.

"Are you sure it's good to leave him in the Metro alone?"

J'onn gave Superman a blank stare.

"I have hooked Batman up to the best med technology in the planet. Trust me, he will be fine."

"But I still think we should leave someone here to monitor things."

J'onn shook his head.

"You said so yourself it was better if this was kept on a tight lid. The less who know, the better."

"I'm not comfortable working in secrecy like this. We are supposed to be equals."

J'onn sighed.

"Mister Terrific knows and will send a team down here to check things up if we do not check back in within a certain time. Trust me on this Superman."

Superman still wanted to discuss the issue some more but realized it was not worth to waste any more time and walked away from the Martian to resume his vigil in the corner.

Shayera was getting her mace ready. Who knows what they would encounter once they went through the machine.

"I still don't understand why we didn't try magic," Dick replied, his arms folded.

"What?" Shayera asked.

"The League has mages on it does it not? Like Zatanna, Etrigan, Dr. Fate?"

Shayera paused, that thought had crossed her as well.

"But I don't think Bruce would appreciate having magic used on him."

"I don't think he would appreciate us entering his "soul" either."

"Yeah, but somehow I think he would be more willing to accept this than magic because there is science behind it. Besides, Zatanna and Etrigan are in Europe doing some quest for some magical artifact. Dr. Fate is on a sabbatical as well. We're short staffed on magic right now," she explained.

She understood Dick a little. She knew what it was like to be angry and frustrated because you felt helpless and useless. Her aggression was just building it up even more. Her temper was often her way of coping whenever she felt frustrated, doubt, or insecure. These recent events were only building her aggression up tenfold.

Dick sighed.

"I'm going to visit him one more time. You know, make sure everything's working."

Shayera gave an understanding look and Dick made his way to the med bay. It was not too far away. He just wanted some alone time. Usually when he was in the room, Barbara, J'onn, or someone else in the Justice League was there, never giving him an opportunity to be alone with Bruce.

Dick entered the room quietly.

Bruce looked a lot better since Dick last saw him. His bruises were healing, but still the sight of him lifeless, hooked up to a machine with a faint beeping sound was still sickening. Dick was not happy how they were planning on leaving Bruce's life hanging in balance with a machine. He offered to ask Barbara to watch over, but J'onn was so adamant that it be kept on a tight lid that no one would enter the Metro, Dick had no choice but to leave Bruce's fate to a machine.

Sighing he pulled out a battarang. He was in his Nightwing costume just like how all the founders were in full regalia as well. Going into Bruce's heart, who knows what they would face.

"I guess I'm like you. I'm not good at emotional stuff…" Dick said while chuckling a little. He wanted to say much more, especially because this might be the last time he saw Bruce, but he couldn't.

Frustrated with himself, Dick swore under his own breath and muttered, "Coward."

Bruce's body still remained still and lifeless.

"Look Barbara suggested I leave this with you since your belt's empty. She figured it would a little nice get well card when you get up so…"

But still he could not find the right words to say. Out of fear or pride, he was not sure.

Mad at himself, Dick dropped the battarang on Bruce's costume that had been kept by his lifeless body the whole week. The Justice League and doctors seemed unwilling to move it.

Dick made his way back to the atrium with the others, they would be going soon. When he entered again he saw Wally bugging J'onn with questions.

"I still don't know why it's so small!"

J'onn sighed.

"It's design to hold one Martian for therapeutic reasons. It allows a Martian to go look into the different layers of his mind and emotions. Think of it allowing you to observe your thoughts from a third party view…"

"Like Harry Potter!" Flash cried.

J'onn glared and Flash shut his mouth. J'onn then continued.

"The machine itself however can also make a connection with the emotional plane…"

"Emotional plane?"

J'onn stopped his work to rub his forehead. Why was it so difficult for humans to grasp?

"Our mind and emotions are projected on a different level existence. Telepaths like Martians were able to read minds because we figured out how to access it. Doctor Destiny has been living and operating on this plane the past few years. He feeds off the emotions and dreams of others to keep him alive."

"But why does he need to be physical again?"

Sighing J'onn looked at Wally.

"If he does not find a source for a while he will cease to exist. Being physical ties him to this world again. But also, that is not the only reason he wants Batman's emotional core. By consuming it, he will become more powerful than any of us can comprehend. He will be able to manipulate reality not just in the dream plane but in the real world as well."

"Oh. That bad?"

"Very bad," J'onn said to Wally in a tone that signaled to the speedster to stop distracting him. Shamefully Wally walked away.

J'onn sighed as he fiddled with the machine.

They did not have much time to stop Doctor Destiny and save Batman. He hoped that if they failed, no one would stumble into the Metro Tower until Mister Terrific's search part arrived. There was a reason why J'onn made sure no one was allowed in the Metro when they were on the mission.

If they failed or were too late, Batman needed to die. J'onn was sure many in the League would have a moral objection to that if they found out.

"Geezus I thought being here meant we were gonna go start beating some stuff up, not sitting around like dandelions!" Lobo bemoaned in a bored voice.

John shot the bounty hunger and angry look.

"Not all of us have a thirst for violence like you. If you want to leave, go right ahead."

Lobo grinned.

"Make me," he threatened.

Superman watched Lobo and Green Lantern argue while sighing to himself. Diana had walked up to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Superman wanted to say yes, but shook his head. Diana had the habit of making one willing to tell the truth, even without her lasso.

"I'm worried. Not just about Bruce but all of us. Do you feel like we are risking our lives for nothing? I mean look, Bruce didn't want anything to do with us. We were supposed to have parted ways for good. Am I leading us on a suicide mission just because of misplace guilt?" he vented to Diana.

Diana grabbed Superman's jaw and looked directly into his eyes.

"Regardless our relationship with Bruce, we still are the Justice League. We help anyone, regardless. We always try to find the way to save people and never forsake them for death."

Superman smiled.

"Thanks Di."

At that second, the tender moment between them was interrupted by a whirring sound. The machine doors slid opened to reveal the inside of the machine. Except the inside was different this time. In place of where the small cylindrical room should have been was a growing orange light. On closer inspection they realized it was a vortex. A whirlpool that seemed to stretch on a way greater distance than the boundary of the machine.

It reminded Diana of the time they went in the time machine to stop Vandal Savage.

"Well, let's go," Flash said nervously and made his way to the machine.

"Wait!" J'onn cried.

"What?"

"I haven't hooked it up to Batman's subconscious, and even if I did, you would be torn to shreds."

"Wha?" Wally asked confused making sure to get away from the machine.

"What's going on J'onn?" Superman asked. J'onn never mentioned this.

"Any physical body that tries to enter the dream plane will be disintegrated and torn from existence. Telepaths only operate through the dream plane through their mind not their whole body. "

"Can you say that again?" Lobo asked confused. "Not all of us are science geeks! Although I did get an A+ on my last science project."

"Well why didn't we just have you link our minds to Batman's?" Dick asked. He was getting suspicious that J'onn was trying to sabotage the mission.

"Because Doctor Destiny is blocking we can't go that way. Therefore our whole bodies will have to enter through another way. Don't worry, I have something that will keep us all safe," J'onn said.

Before any of them could say anything, they all felt a searing pain in their heads. It felt like some had started drilling through their sculls. But as quick as it happened, it was over, leaving many of them on their feet, but a little shaken.

"What the hell?" Lobo cried angrily pulling out a crowbar.

"I linked your minds to this," J'onn said, unfazed by Lobo, pointing to the control panel.

"That way your minds are grounded to the earth so you won't be torn apart."

"Are you sure it's safe now?" Wally asked nervously.

J'onn looked at him.

"We are entering Batman's heart. His heart of darkness. I do not know what we will see. This is not Batman's mind we are entering where there's order and rational structure. We will be not only seeing but experiencing his emotions. It will be chaotic and dangerous. I can't guarantee your safety, all I can guarantee is I can transport you there safely."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense and silent. J'onn's warning was true. They were entering a dark place. They were entering the unknown. There may be no turning back. Finally Superman walked up to J'onn, the machine still running.

"Let's go," the Kryptonian said. No one disputed that. Superman then looked at J'onn unsure.

"How do I enter?"

J'onn smiled a little.

"Just jump in. Don't worry, the machine prevents from anything else getting sucked in. As long as it does not malfunction, nothing will be forced in after us while we are there."

"What about people entering voluntarily?"

J'onn leaned closer to Superman.

"Well that's why the Metro is under lockdown," he explained.

Superman sighed and looking into the orange abyss with determination, walked in. Immediately as he broke the plane, he felt a force sucking him to the center of the vortex. Superman did not even have time to try to fight it or slow down. He was plunged into the black hole.

00000

Diana saw Superman suddenly be pulled away by the forced of the vortex. She was alarmed for a second but she had faith. J'onn would not fail them.

Deciding it would be a cowardly and disgrace her Amazonian heritage if she waited any longer. Diana stood up to the platform and entered the machine. Like Superman she suddenly was forced to the center and the founders saw her getting smaller and smaller until she was gone.

John sighed and got up to go next but Shayera beat him to it. Unlike Superman or Diana, Shayera wasn't going to wait for the vortex to suck her to the center. She instead flew in, carrying her mace and giving a war cry.

"Damn woman," John muttered and went after her.

Sighing Dick got up with Wally behind him.

"On the count of three?" Wally asked nervously.

Dick nodded.

"One…two…whoa!"

Dick pushed Wally into the vortex causing J'onn to give Dick a mild surprised look.

"You know he would find a way to stall before he got to three!" Dick defended himself with a little grin and jumped in.

That left two people.

J'onn looked at Lobo.

"Well?"

"I'm going! I'm going, hold on!" Lobo replied angrily. He pulled out an ion pistol from his belt.

"Let's frag this joint!" he yelled before charging in.

Pretty soon J'onn was left alone. Taking one last look around the empty Metro Tower, he made his way to the entrance.

"Hold on Batman. I will try my best to not fail you," he whispered before he like his friends, jumped into the jaws of the glowing portal.

000000

Superman got up to his feet but before he could regain his bearing he found he was knocked over by a pair of long legs.

"Sorry Kal!" Diana said as she tried to tangle herself out from him. But before she could they found John and Shayera on top of them as well.

"Get your foot out of my wing John!" Shayera replied angrily.

But before John could move they heard someone screaming. Wally had landed on top of them.

"Was that you?" John asked, a little put off how high pitched Flash sounded.

"Dick pushed me!" Wally complained.

"Did not," cried a voice to the side. Unlike the other heroes, Dick had expected something like this and was able to use his acrobat skills to stick a nice landing, away from the pile.

"Look out dweebs!" shouted a booming voice, and before anyone could move, the pile was crushed under the weight of Lobo.

"I'm sorry, traveling here takes a little bit to get used to," the calm voice of J'onn replied.

The pile of heroes finally managed to get up.

"Hey why are we still in our costumes?" Wally asked.

"Because we are here physically. You can't imagine yourself to be something else."

"Where are we?" Superman asked unsure. Other than the glowing orange portal that was swirling about ten feet above their heads, they were what appeared to be in utter blackness. For some reason the light from the portal was not illuminating where they were.

"Who turned out the fraggin' lights?" Lobo demanded, aiming his gun and started shooting.

"Stop that!" yelled Superman and grabbed Lobo's hand tightly.

Before Lobo could respond, the eight heroes heard some rustling. They immediately felt a gust of wind blow against their face along with a screeching sound. On instinct, they formed an eight man circle together.

It did not take them long to figure out what had happened. Thousands or maybe even millions of bats were swarming up from the ground and flying away. They seemed to have appeared from everywhere. But as they flew away, the place they were in seemed to be a little lighter. Pretty soon the creatures of the night were gone and the heroes discovered they were in what appeared to be a cathedral.

"Figures," muttered Dick sarcastically. "It would be bats."

"Where are we J'onn?" Diana asked unsure. Even though the bats were gone and they were able to see better, the cathedral they were in still seemed dark. There were seven stain glass windows, each a different color. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. But the illumination they provided was faint.

The cathedral itself was still huge. It stretched on for what appeared miles across all four sides.

J'onn remained silent and instead proceeded to walk. The rest of the heroes, unsure followed him.

For what seemed like minutes or hours, it was hard to tell, they had finally reached the entrance. With trepidation, J'onn slowly opened the doors and the group stepped out.

For a second the group had a while discerning their surroundings outside the cathedral. They were in what appeared a waste land of blackness. It did not take them long to realize they were surrounded by what appeared to be a black fog.

"This, is Batman's heart…" J'onn announced.

"You weren't kidding when you said heart of darkness," Wally replied nervously.

"What do we do now?" Shayera asked having her mace ready for whatever was awaiting in the darkness.

"Keep moving," John said and moved to the front to lead, using his ring to light the way. But before they even began to descend the steps the doors behind them swung shut with a loud bang. Startling all of them.

They immediately turned around to find the doors shut and locked. Before any could attempt to open it, they heard a cackling laugh surround them. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"The door is shut. It was a mistake coming here. There is no way out of here alive." The voice whispered softly but still somehow seemed to project itself everywhere.

Lobo had his gun out ready to shoot.

"Alright. You wanna mess with the Main Man? Come and get me!"

The laughing continued and out of the darkness stepped a hooded man in a dark blue cloak. His face was that of a skeleton with glowing yellow eyes.

"You should have killed Batman when you had the chance. You made the mistake coming here. This is my domain."

Shayera flew at the man, intent on swinging her mace at him.

Doctor Destiny just stood calm and stuck out his arm with reflexes that surprised the winged woman and before she could react, he was gripping her shocking her with yellow light.

Shayera screamed din pain.

"Shayera!" John shouted and he used his ring to shoot a blast of green energy at the man.

The blast instead was absorbed by the villain. Doctor destiny grinned wickedly as he continued to torture and shock Shayera who was on the verge of unconsciousness.

"Your ring is powered by your emotions Green Lantern! It just makes me stronger!"

But before Doctor Destiny could show off any more of his powers, Lobo shot at him. An orange blast hit Doctor Destiny, knocking him off his feet and causing him to let go of his prisoner. John immediately rushed to his wife and placed a protective dome around them as he began to examine her body. She was alive but appeared to be barely breathing.

Taking advantage of their enemy being knocked down, Superman and Wonder Woman flew towards the villain, intending to beat him.

But their punches hit only smoke. Doctor Destiny had evaporated.

"Where's that geek?" Lobo shouted as he turned around attempting to find the villain.

But just as Lobo said the remark, he was suddenly picked up in the air and thrown away from the cathedral at Superman and Diana by Doctor Destiny, who had appeared behind him.

"Like I said. This is my domain. This is where you will all die!"

Flash sped up and tried to take the man out by surprise but Doctor Destiny had expected it.

The cloaked man had again evaporated and Wally rushed into nothing but smoke before hitting a wall of the Cathedral, which despite Flash going with much momentum did not eve crack at the force of the speedster slamming into it. Flash was on the ground cold. Dick rushed to help him up.

Superman and Diana again tried to fight the man but once again were too slow. Doctor Destiny fought back this time and shot more yellow lightning again.

"Wally!" Dick shouted. "Are you alright?"

Wally stirred and came to.

"Yeah I heal fast. Except I'm going to have one nasty headache," he complained. Dick could tell he would not be able to fully stand up for awhile.

Dick sighed with relief and watched as Lobo shot another blast, temporarily knocking Doctor Destiny off balance. But the monster was up on his feet again and responded with another attack of orange light.

"What do we do now?" Wally asked.

"Run!" Dick shouted and began to move with much speed carrying Wally.

He headed toward the darkness. Maybe they could lose Doctor Destiny in it.

"Retreat!" Dick shouted as he ran. "Into the mist! We might lose him there!"

"Never retreat!" Diana shouted after she managed to punch Doctor Destiny a few football fields away after sneaking up on him.

"Diana," Superman said, getting to his feet. "He's right."

"Never give up!" she replied incredulously.

"I'm not, but we're sitting ducks here. Dick's right, Diana, we need to regroup until we have a plan."

Diana was reluctant. She did not want to scatter away like a coward but Superman was right. Doctor Destiny had already taken out two of them with ease and John was ineffective.

"He's right Diana," she heard J'onn said behind her. He had remained silent the whole fight. "I can sense his power and it is amazing. We will not be able to defeat him right now. Not without a plan."

Diana paused and looked in the distance to see Doctor Destiny getting to his feet again.

"Let's go," she said and hurried along the direction where Dick had fled with Wally.

00000

Pretty soon the League had caught up to Dick, mainly because he was trying to support Wally. Superman flew by and took the speedster out of his arms. Diana then proceeded to pick up Dick. John meanwhile was flying while carrying Shayera, who was still unconscious, and her mace in his arms. He was using the ring to give a little light to illuminate their way. Did not do much good though. The darkness seemed endless.

J'onn was bringing up the rear, carrying Lobo who was shooting his gun at a pursuing Doctor Destiny. The Czarnian never really got scared, but the sight of the blue cloaked man gliding along like a ghost and howling after them was a little unsettling. Lobo's gun was keeping him at bay but not disabling the villain permanently.

"Ya know, I'm doing all the work here! Could use some help!" Lobo complained.

"Clark can you see anything?" John asked. He was concerned about Shayera.

"My different visions can't penetrate through the darkness, I have no idea what lies beyond."

An orange blast whizzed by Superman's face by inches. Doctor Destiny was getting close.

"What do we do now?" Dick asked in Diana's arms.

But before anyone could say anything Superman had run into something. Diana did not have enough time to react and crashed into the solid mass as well. Dick fell out of her arms with a groan.

John was able to avoid it just in time and landed on his feet, holding Shayera in his arms.

J'onn and Lobo managed to land on their feet as well in front of the group. Lobo aimed his gun at Doctor Destiny who descended on the ground laughing.

"Trapped like rats. How fitting," he said in his singsong voice.

Diana's head felt like it was going to split open. She could hear Superman groaning and getting to his feet as well.

"Stay back!" Lobo threatened with his gun.

Doctor Destiny laughed. "Please, that does not even hurt me. It's just a little sting."

He then shot an orange blast at Lobo which knocked him off his feet. Grinning madly, Doctor Destiny began to walk threateningly to the group.

Nightwing however remained undisturbed and was instead examining the wall. Or at least you could call it a wall. It had no texture or anything. Just a solid black mass. As Dick continued to run his fingers along the wall in hopes of maybe finding an opening, a thin green light began to emit from it. It was as if some was drawing a glowing green line along the wall.

"John what are you doing?" Dick asked turning around.

"What?" John asked as he hopelessly had his ring aimed at Doctor Destiny, even though he knew it was useless.

Dick turned back to the wall and noticed the green light had formed what appeared to be the outline of an archway. At the top of the arch, another green line shot up before stopping a certain distance. At the end point, the green light began growing brighter.

The rest of the heroes had finally noticed the glowing signs and stood perplexed. Doctor Destiny even stopped with hesitation.

"Uh-oh," he muttered.

A green beam shot out from the bright point above the archway outline. It hit Doctor Destiny square in the chest. Unlike John's ring, this seemed to damage him, or at least knock him off his feet.

The archway outline disappeared and instead an actual opening in the shape of the outline appeared. Immediately a bright green light came out, blinding the heroes.

"Come on! Hurry!" barked a voice that sounded familiar but different. They could barely make out the silhouette of a shadowy, hunched figure. The figure seemed to be carrying something long in its hand.

But as soon as it appeared the silhouette was gone, leaving the bright green light to blind them from the opening.

"What's going on?" Diana asked unsure.

Superman turned around and saw Doctor Destiny was getting back to his feet.

"I don't know but it's better than sitting here. Let's go!" he ordered and went into the opening carrying Wally. Diana and Dick followed. John came with Shayera. J'onn made to pick up Lobo but the bounty hunter had regained consciousness.

"I got it!" he shouted and ran into the green light.

J'onn followed just in time to see Doctor Destiny gliding toward him screaming. J'onn entered the light and heard the faint scream of Doctor Destiny before turning around.

"Where are we?" Diana asked unsure.

Everyone looked around. The opening which they came from had disappeared. Instead they were what appeared to be a city. Dick immediately recognized it.

"We're in Gotham," he explained.

Or at least it was a good imitation of Gotham. The city was still shrouded in the black mist. However the street lights were on along with a few lights in the buildings. Except they emitted a faint green glow, not unlike the one they saw earlier. The green lights provided just enough illumination to barely make out the outlines of the buildings shrouded in the black mist.

"Who brought us here?" John asked cautiously.

"I did," said an ancient voice.

Before any could react, the mysterious hunched figure that had ordered them to follow had stepped into a green light, revealing himself.

It was an old man in a purple suit. He walked with a cane. His skin was covered in liver spots. His white, thinning hair was reflecting the green light. He would have been unrecognizable if it were not for his bright blue eyes or rigid jaw.

John was shocked. He thought he would never see the old man again. At least not until many years.

"Bruce?" Dick asked unsure.

The old man instead examined the group with his bright eyes before forming a slight frown on his face. He finally stopped at John and smiled slightly.

"Hello John. It's good to see you again," the old man replied.


	16. Willpower

**Turns out, I was able to get at least one more chapter in the weekend. Reviews are welcomed.**

The old man was examining Wally and Shayera with J'onn, ignoring the shocked looks the other heroes had on their faces except Lobo who was aiming his gun at nothing.

"How do you know him John?" Diana asked noticing John seemed the most surprised.

"That mission after Chronos. You know where we traveled to the past then the future? You were with…"

Diana gave a perplexed look.

"But you don't remember," John muttered. He forgot Diana was almost erased from existence on that mission.

"I thought you two were joking that day," she said referring to the day when she sat down next to john and Bruce and they were discussing a journey to the future.

"No, it happened," John muttered. "How do you think Shayera and I picked our son's name?"

"The question is why is Bruce's future self doing here," Superman spoke. "I thought we are in Batman's heart."

"Because he is not Bruce from the future…" J'onn explained after Shayera and Wally seemed to stir again.

"What?" Dick asked confused.

But before anyone could say anything, Wally and Shayera had come to. Shayera noticed the old man looking at her. Her eyes widened with surprise.

"Bruce?" she asked.

"Whoa, how long have we been here?" Wally asked noticing the immense age the man was. "This is definitely like inception now!"

John had rushed to Shayera's side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, where's my mace," she replied angrily getting to her feet.

Dick walked over to help Wally up.

"So who are you then?" Diana asked, trying to get everyone back on topic while eying the older man with suspicion.

The old man grinned.

"Are you the Bruce from the future or not?" Superman asked, ready to fight. Bruce would never smile like that.

"Yes and no," the old man explained. "I am the manifestation of Bruce's willpower."

"What?" Dick asked confused.

"Willpower. You know strength of will, stubbornness, and determination. Hence the green light in this realm."

"What does green light have to do with anything?" Wally asked confused.

"Emotions are characterized by different lights," John explained. "The Guardians chose green for their Lantern Corps because it's the most stable emotion, will. Whereas yellow is fear, red is rage…."

"Alright, screw the mumbo jumbo, who are ya really?" Lobo demanded and pointed his gun at the old man who seemed unfazed.

"Lobo he is telling the truth. He's Batman's willpower."

"But why would Bruce have an old man be a manifestation of willpower?" asked Shayera. "To me, that's the opposite symbol he would choose."

The old man sighed.

"To Bruce, this is the sign of will power. Never giving up and being too stubborn to die. Bruce was surprised, which John can testify to, when they went to the future and met me. He was surprised that there was a possibility that he would live that long. An old, bitter man who despite all odds had managed to survive and pass on the mantle to someone else."

"So that's good then!" Wally beamed and let out a sigh of relief. "If you were in the future that means we won here. You lived!"

John shook his head while the old man gave an icy blue stare at the speedster.

"The timestream was corrupted at that moment. That reality may not exist anymore. The possibility that Bruce keeps living against all odds is the reason why I'm the symbol of his willpower. Whether I actually exist or not anymore remains irrelevant."

"Where's that skull freak! I gotta score to settle with him!" Lobo shouted looking around the replica of Gotham, frustrated he had nothing to shoot at for awhile.

"You are safe for now," the old man explained. "He will not be able to enter here for a while, but he will find a way in eventually."

"Where is 'here' actually?" Superman asked looking around.

"This is the realm of Bruce's willpower. When Doctor Destiny attacked Batman's heart, it tried to defend itself. You saw the cathedral I take it?"

J'onn nodded.

"I take it that was the core?" the Martian asked.

"Yes," the old man replied. "You noticed the lights were dim?"

"I'm sorry but can some explain to me what's going on?" asked Shayera feeling impatient and left out of the loop.

The old man sighed.

"I guess I should let you explain?" he asked beckoning to J'onn.

J'onn paused to think before speaking again.

"Every emotional center or 'heart' on the dream plane has a core that manifests itself in to something. In Batman's case it's a gothic cathedral filled with bats. Each emotional core is supposed to house the Emblems of Emotion."

"And that is?" Superman asked, just as confused as everyone else.

"I guess you could call them 'objects'. Basically each one is to represent a different color of light in the emotional spectrum for a particular person."

"So green is willpower?" Diana asked.

J'onn nodded. "Precisely. When Doctor Destiny attacked, he was after those emblems. If he gets a hold of them, he will consume Batman's soul. That is what he is after."

"But they weren't in the church," Dick pointed out. "If he already has them why is he still here?"

The old man smiled at that.

"He doesn't have them. You are all aware Batman is extremely guarded in his emotions?"

The silence confirmed the answer.

"It took Batman to be experiencing four out of the seven emotions for Doctor Destiny to be able to knock down his defenses. However because Batman was so guarded in his emotions, when Doctor Destiny attacked and forced himself into Batman's heart, the emblems scattered to the different realms for protection. Obviously the telepath didn't anticipate that, hence why he is still here," the elderly man beamed with pride.

"And what are these realms?"

"They, like this one, house the memories of the emotions in question. Doctor Destiny cannot access them with ease. He will find a way in though eventually so we must hurry."

"Hurry where?" Diana asked. She was not going to go anywhere until she had the answers.

"If you can bring the emblems back to the core and unite them, you will awaken Batman's soul. Only he will be able to force Doctor Destiny out."

"But why didn't he do it when he was under attacked initially?" Dick asked suspicious. None of this was making sense to him.

"Because Batman was broken at that moment. Tired, exhausted, drained. He had no time to react to Doctor Destiny's attack. If you unite those emblems and awaken his soul, it will be stronger and ready to fight Doctor Destiny. I cannot guarantee it will work, but it's the only possible way you got to stop him now."

The heroes paused and looked at each other. They were not really sure what the old man said was true but he did save their lives. They had no choice but to trust him.

"Let's do it then," Superman said taking charge. "Give us the emblem for willpower and take us to the other realms."

The Martian sighed.

"It's not that simple Superman," he said coolly.

"What do you mean? Seems simple enough!" Shayera cried angrily. She was getting impatient. Bruce's life was hanging in balance and they were talking metaphysics.

"First to be able to hold an emblem you need to understand and experience the emotions Batman has felt with that particular emotion. There is a test."

"A test?" Wally asked. He prayed to god it was a written test. He did not like the idea of what Batman's heart had in mind for a test.

"You need to prove mastery over the emotion to be able to hold it."

"And what happens if we don't?" John asked.

The old man did not even hesitate to respond. "Then Doctor Destiny will eventually consume it and Batman will die!"

That led a tense silence among the group. Even Lobo was being quiet.

"Come on, there is much work to do!" the old man said leading along the black streets of Gotham illuminated by the green light.

For a while the heroes followed the man wordlessly. No one daring to break the silence. Finally they stopped at an intersection. They were somewhere in downtown Gotham. Superman recognized the famous Gotham billboard. Except instead of an expensive advertisement, the billboard was blank white which contrasted the green and blackness everywhere else.

"Frag this, this is getting lame!" Lobo complained and made to leave.

"Fine, find your way out yourself," Superman said darkly. He was getting sick of Lobo.

Lobo stopped frustrated. Superman had a point. Cursing under his breath he made to stay with the group who was watching the billboard.

All of a sudden a projection was shown on the billboard as if they were watching a film.

"This is what it's like to be Batman's willpower," the old man explained.

The heroes watched as the screen went through a montage of Batman's memories. Mainly the montage focused on his training and younger years. Occasionally it would flash on Batman being a tight spot but somehow fight his way through. Diana could not help but admire Batman and his warrior training, even though she was still angry at him for his betrayal.

"Now you will see some of Batman's greatest moments of willpower," the old man explained.

The montage ceased and instead showed an image of Batman standing by a control panel. The founders recognized it immediately as the old Watchtower. Batman was looking out a small window and talking on a microphone.

Wally and J'onn immediately recognized that memory. It was when Batman decided that he was going to sacrifice himself and kamikaze the Watchtower to save the world.

"…it's been an honor," they heard Batman said.

"What's he doing?" Diana asked alarmed.

Wally, J'onn and Superman looked at each other. They never told the rest that Batman had intended to kill himself during that battle. The founders assumed that Batman had planned for Superman to take him out when the Watchtower was close enough.

"He's piloting the Watchtower to destroy the hyperdrive," Superman explained.

Diana and Dick shot angry looks at Wally, J'onn, and Superman.

"You told me you planned to save him. You didn't tell me he was planning to get himself killed!" Diana yelled angrily that they kept this from her.

Dick meanwhile was glaring more at J'onn and Wally.

"How could you let him do that? Let him attempt to sacrifice himself like that?"

Shayera meanwhile was feeling guilt. She was the reason Batman had decided to put his life in danger that day. She did not know her betrayal had caused him to nearly kill himself until now.

John noticed his estranged wife was not feeling comfortable and slowly put his arm around her. This time she did not reject his show of comfort toward her.

"Gag me," Lobo muttered. "This is dull-oomph!"

Superman elbowed the Czarnian in the gut not too gently. Lobo got the message.

They watched as Batman was close to piloting the Watchtower to the hyperdrive. The Watchtower was in flames around him. They could tell he was using all his willpower to stay conscious and pilot the Watchtower manually. Finally when Batman seemed to not be able to remain awake anymore and was overcome by the fumes, his grip slackened just as the Watchtower was on the verge of hitting its target.

At that moment they saw Superman burst into the room and carry the near unconscious Dark Knight out of the exploding space station just in time.

Even though they all knew Batman was going to survive, it still was nerve-racking to see him almost die like that. For a second, a few of the heroes thought Batman was not going to make it.

The next memory showed Batman piloting the javelin wildly. They could hear J'onn yelling at him over the radio. It did not take long for the founders and Dick to figure out what was happening. It was the time Batman nearly killed himself to stop the kryptonite nuclear missile from hitting Superman and Wonder Woman.

The heroes all cringed, except Lobo who did not seemed fazed, when Batman latched the javelin on the missile. The javelin began to shake violently as Batman was able to barely pilot the javelin and missile away from its target. They continued to watch as Batman exited out of the now out of control javelin and landed roughly on the water as the missile detonated a few miles away.

The billboard ceased after that. The old man was looking at all of them. A look of judgment.

"You were all so quick to kick out Batman when he betrayed you," he said looking at the founders. "Yet the man was willing to go the extra mile for all of you. How many times had he put his life on the line to save all of you? How many times would he never give up to save you? The man had not only put his life on the line for you, but he also never gave up fighting to help you!"

John had enough of the verbal lashing. "But he still hurt us! His counter measures hard hurt us! It made us unable to trust him anymore!"

"Meaning you gave up on him, how fitting. You gave up on the man who never gave up protecting all of you," the old man replied coolly.

That accusation stung deep. No one responded to that.

Diana and Superman were feeling mixed feelings. On one hand a part of them still believed that Bruce did not care for them anymore but now with being reminded how many times he struggled to save them they were not so sure. Bruce however did act like he did not care for them after they confronted him the day he resigned, but then again Bruce may have been angry at them at the moment. They had forgotten how many he had saved them.

Meanwhile Shayera and Wally were feeling guilt. They did not want Bruce to get kicked out of the League but they both felt they could have done more to help him. They should have made more of an effort. J'onn meanwhile was feeling guilt but in a different way. He had hooked Batman to a machine that would kill him. He had given up on the man who never gave up on them.

John remained silent. What the old man said was true. Batman never gave up on his comrades, but John had gave up on him. Some soldier he was.

Lobo rolled his eyes. Who cares if Batman was a badass? He didn't understand why everyone else was looking all depressed.

Dick felt nothing but anger at himself. He like the others felt guilt but he was also feeling nostalgia. He forgot when he was younger he always looked up to Batman. He always hoped to be like Bruce, the man who never gave up without a fight. When he had gotten older though, he had forgotten that respect and admiration. He was being a brat and too proud to look up to Bruce anymore.

"Now I hate to interrupt your private reflections, but now we must select one of you," the old man replied briskly.

"One of us?" Superman asked.

"One of you will have to be tested to earn the emblem of willpower. It is not an easy test so I would advise you pick the strongest among your group."

Superman stepped forward.

"I'll do it."

"I am talking strength in will," the old man replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Superman asked feeling insulted. He never gave up.

"Yes Superman, you are strong in will. You all are. But you are all plagued with doubt or _selfishness_," the old man explained, looking at Lobo on the last word.

"Thanks," Lobo said proudly.

"Only one of you has the strength of will to match Batman's," the old man explained.

"Who?" Diana asked.

"Ii should be obvious shouldn't it?" the old man said. "Shouldn't you select the man who uses willower as his primary weapon?"

All the heroes looked at John. They understood what the old man was getting at now.

John looked alarmed.

"I can't," he said, defensively raising his arms. "One of you should do it, you'll be better."

"Why are you backing out John?" Shayera asked a little angrily. "Too proud to help Batman?"

"No but look, I wasn't Batman's strongest allies before we got here. It doesn't seem right. Let someone else do it," he explained pitifully. He never backed out in a fight but for the first time in his life he was feeling a little doubt. He was afraid his personal feelings for Batman would get in the way and not make him able to perform his best efforts.

"You have to John," Superman pleaded, now understanding why John was selected. "I believe in you. You never gave up. Remember when the Secret Society emerged and you were the only one who tried to keep the team together? You were always the last to give up on the team. It has to be you."

John sighed and closed his eyes. As much as he was feeling self-doubt, a fire ignited in him. He would never quit. Not now, not ever. With determination he walked over to the old man.

"Do it," he muttered.

The old man smiled.

"Give me your ring," he replied.

John looked unsure.

"Willpower is not measured by powers; you of all people should know that."

Reluctantly John slid of his ring. His glowing eyes turned brown and his Green Lantern uniform was gone, replaced with a typical t-shirt and jeans.

"Very well, let's begin," the old man cryptically explained.


	17. Something to Fight For

John looked around at his surroundings. The old man had taken them what was a replica of Gotham Stadium. Like the rest of Gotham in this realm, it was black with shades of green light. John could not see beyond the 50 yard line. John snorted a little at the sight because it seemed a little cliché that his test would be in a stadium. The others were sitting where the announcer booth was, with the elder Bruce on the microphone.

"Alright John, you know the rules. No powers and no one to help you. Let us see how strong your willpower really is."

John just stood and began to stretch. He was hoping it was not an obstacle course test. His body was not as young as it used to be.

As if on cue, the ground shook slightly. Someone very big was coming. The hair on John's back stuck up. What could Bruce have imagined to test him?

The figure came out of the shadows. John could make out a hulking form. It did not take John long to recognize the figure.

"_Shit,"_ John thought to himself.

"It's a pleasure meeting you Mr. Stewart. Take it as a personal honor for me to kill you," Bane said. He was a lot bigger last time John saw him in jail, but then again, Bane was off his Venom supply when he was in jail.

Without a warning Bane suddenly picked up his speed and charged. He was surprisingly fast for man his size. John did not have time to react. Before he knew it, he was sent flying into the goal post. Luckily it was padded at the base so it absorbed much of the force; but still, for a minute John was a little dazed.

Bane proceeded to walk a menacingly slow pace.

"Giving up already? I'm disappointed Mr. Stewart. I thought you would put up a bigger fight. But what can I expect? Without your ring, you are nothing," the villain taunted as he picked up a dazed John by the neck.

John suddenly found the adrenaline rush he needed and before Bane could react, he broke his hold and flipped the big man over him. Bane crashed right into the goal post. His mass knocking it off balance, causing it to lean awkward.

"Come on John," Superman said as he and the rest were watching the fight before them. Even though John was holding his own, Bane still had the advantage.

"What happens if he doesn't win?" Diana asked nervously.

The old man looked at her briefly before turning his head to watch the match.

"He dies," said the old man coldly.

Upon that news Shayera's face went pale. The others caught on it right away. Her husband was fighting for his life. Even though Shayera was mad at him, she still loved him. Quickly she made to leave the announcer booth.

"Where are you going?" Wally asked.

"I'm going to stop him from getting killed!" she yelled ready to take off.

"You can't," Wally said holding onto her arm in an attempt to stop her from flying down there. "It's against the rules."

"Screw the rules! I'm not going to watch my husband get himself killed!"

"If you go down there, you ruin any chance you have of saving Batman," the old man threatened. "Your husband made his choice. Shouldn't you respect that?"

Shayera paused flustered. She did not want to forsake Batman's life but still she could not watch John getting killed. Sensing her distress, J'onn appeared next to her.

"It's alright Shayera. John will make it. I believe in him," the Martian said in an attempt to comfort her.

Shayera sighed and let J'onn lead her back into the booth.

"I don't know about ya all, but my money's still on Mr. Muscles," Lobo said tactlessly.

Superman quickly turned around and punched Lobo in the face. Lobo went out cold. Superman knew that Lobo would be up again in a manner of seconds due to his healing ability but still, it felt good.

Bane had the upper hand. For every punch or throw that John was able to get, Bane offered ten times more. They were now on the fifty yard line. Bane wrapped his arms tightly around John and began to constrict him. John felt his bones being crushed as well as his breathing being suffocated.

He was about to black out but he managed to deliver a well place back kick right at Bane's crotch. Bane may have been all muscle, but he was still a man.

Bane howled in pain and bucked over, letting go of John. John turned around and saw him breathing hard.

"Ch-cowardly move," Bane whispered threateningly.

"I'm not the one with super steroids," John retorted.

Bane smiled wickedly and pushed a button on the Venom dispenser on his wrist. Bane's muscles began to increase tenfold. Bane moaned in pain as the veins in his muscles bulged. The shirt he was wearing was coming apart. Sweat glistening on the man's body.

Bane came at John full force this time. All pure berserker rage. He let out a series of punches on John.

John felt some ribs break. Before he could react, Bane gave a well aimed punched right in John's stomach. John was sure his spleen just ruptured.

Landing on the ground John moaned. His body ached everywhere and he tasted blood in his mouth. Bane picked him up by the collar, and delivered another punch at close range, sending John flying. John landed and skidded across the length of the field. He felt dizzy and that he was about to black out. His last thoughts were going to be contemplating how he failed. He failed everyone. He had given up.

"JOHN!" Shayera shouted. The fear in her voice evident. She made to storm out again, but J'onn held her back.

"Shayera this is his fight…"

"I don't care! He's going to get killed if we stay here! JOHN!"

John came to the sound of someone calling his name. Through the blood in his eyes, he could barely make out in the distance Shayera struggling to get to him. She was trying to save him.

A fire burned inside of John. Something he had not felt in the long time. He did not care if he was dying now. He finally understood what drove Batman's determination. It was not out of shear stubbornness. It was the people who made it worth fighting for. That was what fueled Batman's willpower.

Batman stuck out his neck and never gave up not because of himself, but because there were people worth protecting. John had Shayera and Rex to fight for. He was not going to let them down. Not now, not ever.

"Still alive?" Bane mocked as he made his way toward John and picked him up again.

"We'll see to that. Give up already. Can't you see it's useless?" the villain mocked and got ready for the killing blow.

With unexpected speed, John placed his hands on Bane's masked face. His thumbs pushed hard into Bane's eyes. Bane screamed in pain and dropped John, covering his eyes. John saw his chance. Bane was temporarily blinded.

"I finally understand why Batman beat you in Metropolis! Why he never gave up!" John shouted as he grabbed the tube and began to wrap it tightly around Bane's already huge wrist.

"He found something worth fighting for! And that is why he never gave up and you will always lose!"

And before Bane could react, John pushed the button on his wrist. More Venom was pumped into the man's already bulging muscles. The tube that John had wrapped around Bane's wrist was so tight, that within seconds it tore as Bane's muscles continue to grow. Bane was impaled by his own sword.

Bane screamed as the tube ripped, Venom spilling everywhere. John wasted no time. Even without Venom, Bane was still a formidable opponent.

John tripped Bane who landed on his back with a big thud. John got on top and proceeded to punch Bane repeatedly in the face. Bane struggled but John just kept punching rapidly and hard. Finally when Bane's movement slowed down and his breath became ragged, John leaned in to the masked man's face.

"Give up," John said before slamming one last knockout punch.

Shayera let out a sigh of relief. Superman and Wally were clapping. The old man was smiling proudly.

Wasting no time Shayera flew down and caught John who began to stagger after he got off of Bane.

"Are you alright?" she asked, not caring she was showing this much concern in front of everyone.

"I think I broke something," John said as he coughed up blood and collapsed.

"No, stay with me John!" she said as she saw John's eyes close.

"JOHN!" she shouted.

The rest of the heroes sprinted down there. They couldn't lose one. Not now. Not this early in the journey.

Do something!" Shayera shrieked, looking at J'onn. She didn't want her husband dying thinking she hated him. She was mad at him, but she still loved him.

However before J'onn said anything the sound of a cane hitting the steps of the stadium was heard. Wordlessly, they all watched as the old man made his way to the field, making a beeline to Shayera and John.

The old man despite his age knelt down with ease and placed a hand on John's body. Green light enveloped John and in a matter of seconds the blood was gone. John's eyes shot opened and he let out a big gasp.

"What happened?" he asked confused.

"Congratulations, you passed John," the old man explained. "Since you passed the test, not only will you be rewarded the Emblem of Willpower, but you will also be healed for any wounds you received."

"Uh…thanks," said John a little taken aback what had happened. He finally noticed Shayera was holding him.

John looked at her eyes and the brown found the green.

On impulse the two began to kiss each other right there. Shayera could not stay mad at him anymore. She loved him and he knew it. Diana smiled sympathetically to the scene.

Dick looked at Wally.

"Wally, are you crying?" Dick asked.

"No!" Wally said defensively and turned the other way.

"This is weak!" Lobo complained.

They all ignored him.

Finally J'onn cleared his throat, smiling slightly.

"I don't mean to interrupt but we must get going. We still have a lot of work to do."

Reluctantly John and Shayera broke out of the embrace and John made it to his feet.

The old man smiled slightly.

"Very well, here's your ring," the old man said handing the green glowing ring back to John. Immediately John's costume had reappeared.

"And here, is the Emblem of Willpower," the old man said dramatically and presented John with a small green glowing object. It did not take long for them to realize it was a glowing green battarang.

"A battarang?" Wally asked confused.

The old man grinned.

"Batman has been stuck in so many situations that he was about to give up but then found a way. Most of the time it's him pulling out a battarang and throwing it at the right spot to save the day."

Dick nodded his head in agreement. Bruce often would get out of tight spots due to a last battarang he had held onto.

"Well now you must get going," the old man said and tapped his cane on the ground.

Out of nowhere, a green portal emerged in the middle of the field, it was slowly expanding and heading towards the group.

"This will take you back to the darkness," the old man explained.

"Can't you take us to one of the other realms?" Superman asked.

The old man shook his head.

"I'm afraid I can't. You must find it on your own," the old man explained.

"How do we do that?" Diana asked. "We found this by accident."

The old man smiled mysteriously.

"It's okay to be scared. Being scared of the darkness will light your path to the next realm," the old man hinted as his eyes flashed yellow for a brief second.

Before they could ask any more questions, the old man disappeared as the portal expanded, engulfing all eight members of the group.

**I think I made it obvious which realm is next, five points if you can guess who or what is going to be the manifestation of that emotion.**


	18. Alone in the Dark

**I was impressed how much reviews I received yesterday that I felt like you guys deserved another update right away as a reward for your dedication. I'm also glad many people are trying to guess not just what realms or manifestations there are going to be, but who will be tested as well.**

"Well this sucks," Wally replied sarcastically as they realized they were in the never ending darkness again.

John held out the green battarang in front of him. It glowed bright green, even brighter than his ring, if possible. However it was useless. The darkness just seemed to stretch for miles.

"What did he say about being scared?" Diana asked. "Is that a clue to the next realm?"

"It's probably fear, so that means it's yellow," John explained. "Keep an eye out for yellow light!"

"Oh great idea. While we're at it, why don't we look for a bar as well! We can't fraggin' see in this fraggin' darkness ya fraggin' geek!" Lobo complained.

Shayera glared, "Shut up Lobo!"

"Ya wanna start? Go right ahead!" Lobo challenged pulling out a chain and a hook. "I'm fraggin' bored here! Please, let's start a fight!"

"The bottom line is we need to hurry!" J'onn said. "We don't have much time!"

Superman nodded, "J'onn's right, it does no good to stand around and argue. We need to get going!"

The group made to leave, with John and Superman in the front. Dick however grabbed J'onn by the shoulder and beckoned the Martian to fall to the rear with him. Curiously, J'onn complied.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Dick whispered suspiciously.

J'onn was ready for this and kept his usual blank face and calm demeanor.

"Doctor Destiny will find a way to get to the other realms before us if we don't act," he justified.

"But as long as we have one Emblem, doesn't that put a chink in his plans? Doesn't he need all?"

J'onn paused for a fraction of a second. It seemed Dick had learned a lot from Bruce.

"Yes, but he can easily outmatch us if he consumes just one Emblem. Do you wanna take the risk?"

That answer seemed to satisfy Dick and J'onn was able to relax. He did not want to tell the League the reason they needed to hurry was because Batman's life support would give out if they took too long.

"This place gives me the creeps!" Wally said looking around, expecting Doctor Destiny to emerge anywhere.

"It's okay Wally, we just need to be brave," Diana encouraged and patted him gently on the shoulder.

"That's it!" Superman cried, realization dawning on him.

"What?" John asked, getting frustrated that they could still not find a path.

"Willpower said _'Being scared of the darkness will light your path to the next realm.'_ Don't you see? We need to feel fear to find it!"

"What?" Lobo asked confused. "I don't get scared!"

Superman ignored him as usual.

"We need someone to experience some powerful fear. We found the realm of willpower because we were still refusing to give up even though we were cornered. What we need is to now let fear take us!"

"There's a problem Superman," J'onn said quietly. "It is hard to feel a strong presence of fear without experiencing it. Thinking about it is one thing, but experiencing it is a different manner. I think it would be difficult to have us all experience a strong emotion of fear at the same time."

Superman paused. "Well, what do you propose?"

"We use the fear of someone who is already scared," J'onn explained in his monotone voice. "Someone who is experiencing one of their greatest nightmares right now."

"Who?" Wally asked nervously. "I'm scared like everybody else here, but this isn't one of my greatest fears."

"He means me, Wally," Shayera explained causing a lot of surprised looks at her.

"What I'm claustrophobic okay?" she explained a little embarrassed.

"No," John demanded. "Absolutely not. I'm not going to let you lose control-"

"You got to fight Bane well now it's my turn. There are seven realms and eight of us. There is a chance I might not have to do a test! The least thing I can do is contribute!"

John sighed and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"I don't think this is a good idea…"

Shayera smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Neither was marrying you," she joked.

She then looked at J'onn.

"What do I have to do?"

"You already are holding back your fears aren't you? Being in the dark scares you?"

"Yeah, but I have been ignoring it."

"Well it has been easy for you to ignore your fears because you have access to light and the comfort of your friends being nearby. We are going to have to leave you in the darkness. Only then will you have a chance of letting your fears take control."

"I'm not leaving her!" John shouted. "How are we going to find her again? We can lose her!"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take John!" Shayera said. "Let's do it."

Reluctantly, the group began to walk away from Shayera. She could see the light fading out in the distance, her heart rate picking up. Why did she have to be afraid of the dark?

"Remember Shayera!" she heard J'onn call. "Let it take control! Don't block it!"

Pretty soon the light disappeared and she was alone.

Goosebumps formed on her skin as her breath seemed to have felt cold. She could feel her blood was pumping more. She was feeling agitated. It wasn't just the darkness that was scaring her, but the overall oppressive aura it gave off. It was aggravating her claustrophobia.

The soldier in her was telling her to stay calm and don't let the fear take control. She was too disciplined to find herself frozen with fear. However she was never as disciplined with other emotions.

She thought she heard the faintest rustle behind her. She was not alone.

Nervously she turned around her mace ready. Nothing there but pure darkness.

"Is anybody there?" she asked nervously. It never occurred to her that her friends were really far away now in order for the light to not reach her. How were they going to find her again?

A part of her was tempted to run but she knew it would be suicide. Better stay in the same spot for her friends to find her.

Another rustle was heard to her left, she turned around. Still nothing.

Shayera began to panic. Someone was watching her. There had to be something around.

Who was it? Doctor Destiny? One of her friends? A defensive mechanism in Batman's heart?

No she was alone. There was no one there. Her mind was just playing tricks on her. She was alone.

Alone. Forgotten. Abandoned. Cast out into the darkness to never be found again.

Her claustrophobia was bringing up other fears in her. What about Rex? Who would take care of him if something happened to her? What about John?

Shayera was beginning to sweat. The darkness creeping her out. Why did she have to be the claustrophobic one?

A howling was heard behind her causing her to look to the right paranoid. Who was tormenting her?

"Stop it!" she shouted. "Show yourself you coward!"

From a distance, the group could hear Shayera's faint cries. John was getting agitated.

"That's it I'm going!" he shouted. Superman and J'onn held him back.

"Wait," J'onn whispered. "Give it a little more time."

Her paranoia was beyond rational levels. Someone was there she knew it. Something evil was lurking about. She couldn't breathe either. This was not just a dark mist. It was a solid thing. It was slowly closing in on her!

How did her friends not see that? They should have known if they left her there she would be suffocated by the overwhelming darkness.

Why did they leave her alone?

Because she was alone.

Shayera stiffened. Her friends had abandoned her. She never had friends. She was doomed to be alone. Forever lost in the darkness. It was all a plan for them to ditch her.

They left her to die in this suffocating mist.

Shayera sat down and began to shake. She was going to die. She was going to die abandoned. There was no hope, no escape.

"There!" Superman shouted, pointing in the distance. They could make out a faint yellow light glowing.

The group immediately ran toward it, John in the lead, shouting his wife's name.

Shayera was too busy feeling loss and abandonment to hear her husband cry her name or to notice a glowing yellow light was glowing on the ground behind her.

"Shayera!" she heard someone shouted that broke her out of her trance.

John was standing over her with the look of utmost concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked helping her up.

For a second Shayera did not say anything. She was still traumatized by what had just happened. She looked at the group like a paranoid child.

"Don't ever leave me," she said to John, a tear falling down on her face.

John embraced her and they could hear a sob.

The group decided to give them a minute. Finally after it seemed Shayera had composed herself, she got her mace ready.

"Well it looks like we have our opening!" she said promptly, pointing at the ground in the distance, acting like nothing had happened at all.

A large, glowing hole had formed in the ground. As the group step further on closer inspection, they saw a staircase that descended into underground for who knows how long. The staircase was illuminated by pale yellow light that was contrasted by an overwhelming darkness.

"Well, let's go," Diana said and began to descend. Superman and J'onn close behind her. John and Shayera, holding each other tightly followed the group. Dick and Wally were soon behind them. Lobo was still outside, refusing to go in the hole.

"Pfft! What was bird lady so scared? It's not as scary out here, than it is down there!" he boasted looking around.

A howl of wind was heard in the distance as well as a disturbing rustle.

"But there's probably something cool down there to see," Lobo said nervously and descended the staircase.

After Lobo entered, the hole closed up, disappearing into the darkness. From a distance, a hooded man watched as the group descended in the hole before it closed off. He made his way to where the hole just was.

"Hmm, theses 'heroes' might be of use after all," Doctor Destiny contemplated to himself.

00000000000

The staircase seemed to go on forever. Diana was not sure how long they had been walking down. It could be hours, maybe even days. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Superman looking at her with concern.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just seeing Shayera so shaken up like that disturbed me. She is usually very strong. It makes you think…"

"Makes you think what?" Superman asked as they continued down the steps.

"If that could happen to Shayera, who's to say it's not going to happen to us."

Finally they had reached what appeared to be the bottom.

The yellow light seemed to have grown fainter. The low illumination combined with the green light John gave off was enough for them to discern their immediate surroundings.

"Where are we?" asked Wally unsure.

"It's the batcave," Dick said. He recognized it immediately.

Upon Dick's discovery, yellow light appeared everywhere. The batcave itself was still dark however. The yellow light was in the form of lamps that were placed all over the caves walls.

"Why is the batcave the realm of fear?" John asked.

"Because Bruce fears bats!" hissed a disembodied venomous voice.

The group all looked around alarmed.

"Who's there? Show ya self!" Lobo threatened pointing his gun all over the place.

The disembodied voice laughed. It went from faint high pitch to deep and slow in one laugh. It sounded like someone on a broken voice changer.

"This is my domain. You don't make the rules here. I do!" the voice threatened.

The group looked around nervously. They formed a circle to protect themselves. Little did they notice in the center of the circle, something black began to emerge from the ground. It stretched about seven feet tall before it made its presence known.

"Welcome!" the voice shouted, causing the entire group to jump up startled. Lobo turned around began to shoot his gun wildly and negligently. But as he was shooting at the shadowy thing, it seemed to have disappeared. Where did it go?

"You can't harm me here. I ask you this once to put your weapons away," they heard the voice again.

Reluctantly Superman looked at the group.

"Do as he says," he ordered.

Shayera angrily put her mace onto her belt as Lobo put his gun away. Diana meanwhile had put the lasso on her hip as John lowered his ring.

The black figure emerged from the ground in front of the group.

Finally they were able to get a good look at it. The figure was seven feet tall and thin. It appeared to be wearing a black floor length cape that covered its whole body. It had to long ears that pointed up like devil horns. Its eyes were two dangerous red slits. It seemed to not have a mouth. It did not take long for the group to recognize the image.

It was a darker version of Batman. If Batman were a monster. Dick noticed it matched much of the descriptions in the urban legends that criminals would speak about Batman.

It anything it wasn't Batman, but just a bat. There was no humanity in it. It was the Bat.

"Welcome to the Realm of Fear!" the Bat hissed.

**Up next, the group will not only see Batman's scariest memories but also his worst nightmares and fears. Five points if you guess who will be selected for the test. Bear in mind there is eight people in the group and only seven realms, so it is possible one test will require two people. Not saying if the next test is going to require two, just something to think about. Good job to those who were spot on or close to what the manifestation of fear was.**


	19. Fear

The group stared with trepidation at the Bat. It truly did serve the emotion fear justice. Something about its presence unnerved all of them. Even Lobo, who was trying to act like he did not care, was shaken slightly.

"I know why you are here," the Bat spoke in its voice which continued to change its pitch and tempo as it spoke.

"You have come to get my Emblem."

None of the group wanted to say anything. Finally the warrior in Diana inspired her to speak up.

"Yes we are, and we aren't leaving without it," she demanded calmly, making sure to assert herself to the Bat.

The Bat chuckled.

"You are brave Princess Diana, but you are scared. You all are."

"Don't group me with these geeks!" Lobo replied.

The Bat's attention suddenly turned toward the Czarnian. Lobo gulped and before anyone could react, the Bat had crept to Lobo like a shadow so fast that it was in front of Lobo staring him down with judgment.

"Do not get so high and mighty with me Czarnian. I know what scares you!" the Bat threatened.

The Bat then began to distort itself. They could tell it was changing shape. After a while, the distortion stopped and instead of a big black Bat they saw a tall elderly white woman with red eyes. The group could tell she immediately was of Lobo's now extinct kind not because of the similar appearance but the look of recognition on Lobo's surprised face.

"Ms. Tr-Tribb?" Lobo stuttered a little.

"Lobo! Why haven't you done that project yet? You are a slacker and a failure! A good-for-nothing idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Lobo cried and the group could sense a little bit of insecurity in that claim.

"That is why you will be nothing but a failure. A loser!" the avatar of Ms. Tribb said.

"I'm not a loser! And I'm not an idiot! I fragged the planet once for my science project and I'll frag you again!" Lobo cried angrily pulling out a gun and aiming it at Ms. Tribb, forgetting she was not real.

"Lobo!" Superman shouted pushing his arm down. "She's not real!"

"Oh, yeah…" Lobo said, reality seeming to come back to him. Ms. Tribb grinned before shifting back into the Bat whose grin seemed to make it even scarier. It looked like a monster ready to eat its prey.

"Who was that?" Wally asked.

"My fourth grade teacher…" Lobo muttered embarrassed causing many of the group to snicker.

"That's not funny! She's a fraggin' bastiche I tell ya!" Lobo cried defensively.

"Lobo is right. Fear is no laughing matter, especially when it reeks in all of you!" the Bat accused.

Shayera and Diana glared at the creature.

"Ah yes, the women warriors think they are above being scared," mocked the bat. "Do not forget Shayera Hol, it was your own fears that led you here. And the dark and suffocating blackness is not the only thing you fear!"

Shayera's intimidating glare seemed to be weakened by that accusation.

"And neither are you Princess," the Bat mocked. "I could trap all of you in your worst nightmares now. You think Doctor Destiny is bad? I am nothing but pure fear!"

"Then why don't you?" John asked making sure to have his ring ready and if it came to it, throw the battarang at the monster.

The Bat seemed annoyed.

"Because my job is to guard Bruce's Emblem of Fear, his scariest memories, and his nightmares. Nothing beyond that."

"Well why don't you give us whatever test and we will be on our way then?" Dick asked uncomfortably. He had been in the batcave a million times and yet this one time he wanted to get out as fast as he could.

As if sensing his discomfort, the Bat grinned again.

"It's not that simple. To even be allowed to try to win the Emblem of Fear, you have to understand what it is like to be afraid as Batman."

"Of course," said Superman. They should not have expected anything less.

"This way," the Bat whispered ominously and he glided along the batcave into what looked like to be an image of the batcomputer except it seemed more Gothic and rusted. There was a crack in the screen.

"J'onn," Wally whispered to the Martian nervously. "How did that thing knew what Lobo was scared of? How what we all are scared of?"

J'onn sighed. "That thing is a manifestation of the emotion of fear. Thus it can feel all emotions we associate with fear as well. The other manifestations will be able to do the same, which is why I am worried when we get to Avarice."

"What?"

But before J'onn could expand, the monitor began to sizzle.

"I give you, Batman's fears!" the Bat hissed wickedly.

The group just watched as the screen showed three figures walking out of a movie theater. A man, a woman, and a young boy. Superman immediately knew what this was going to show and tried to look to the side. However he found himself staring into the red eyes of the Bat.

"You have entered this realm, you have to watch Kryptonian, do not make me force you," the Bat whispered threateningly.

Reluctantly Superman turned around to watch the scene before him.

"Can I be Zorro for Halloween Dad? Please?" the boy begged his father.

Thomas Wayne laughed.

"Sure son. Maybe we can get you some fencing lessons as well. Use one of the old swords we got hanging up in the Manor."

"Thomas!" Martha Wayne said with a smile. "Don't give him ideas."

"Ah let him have some fun," Thomas complained as he checked his watch.

"Let's cut over here. We'll get the car sooner."

"Why can't Alfred pick us up Dad?" young Bruce asked curiously.

"I gave him the night off. Besides, I like driving."

Dick and Superman were looking at each other nervously. They knew what was going to happen. The others knew about Bruce's parents' death but not the details. Superman was sure none of them besides himself and Dick knew how the Waynes were gunned down in front of Bruce.

"Fear my vengeance!" Bruce shouted, mimicking sword motions as his dad put his arm around his mother.

Bruce started to run a little ahead.

"Hey Bruce, slow down!" Thomas shouted laughing.

But his laughing ceased. Standing in the shadows was a man, blocking their way. Bruce had stopped running and froze. Martha immediately broke her husband's hold and placed her hands around Bruce's shoulders, clutching tightly.

Thomas nervously put himself in front of his wife and son.

"Can I help you?" he asked nervously as he stepped further to get in front of Bruce.

The man pulled a gun out.

"Let's start with the pretty pearls!" he threatened. "Now!"

Martha screamed at the sight of the gun.

The man pointed his gun at her.

Thomas immediately stood in front of the gun before the man could react.

"Calm down…" he shouted but it was in vain. The man shot his gun. The bullet hit Thomas right in the heart and he collapsed.

The group saw the look on Bruce's face. His eyes that seconds ago were filled with joy were now wide with shock.

After her husband fell Martha pushed Bruce out of the way as the gun man fired again as he tried to wrestle the pearls off Martha's neck. The bullet hit her square in the chest and she collapsed as well.

Bruce just stood by and watched his mother fall. His skin now pale. Tears streaming from his eyes. He was crying. Bruce looked at the gunman.

The gunman seemed to have forgotten about the pearls which were spilled everywhere and was looking at Bruce nervously.

"Shut up! Stop looking at me kid!" the man threatened as he began to back away before turning on his feet and running. The look on Bruce's face seemed to have scared him. Soon his footsteps faded and Bruce was alone in the alley. He just stood there in shock, still crying. Eventually he fell to his knees looking into his father's dead eyes.

The screen went blank. No one dared to speak after that. Superman quickly looked around and saw they all had the looks of shock and horror on their faces. Even Superman was shocked by that memory. The brutality, the look on Bruce's face, was enough to make anyone feel sick. Superman thought he saw a tear stream down Diana's face.

Even Lobo seemed to be a little shocked by the memory.

"That's messed up," Superman heard Lobo whisper to himself.

But the screen was not done.

It showed the same memory again except it was with a few differences such as dialogue and the appearance of the mugger. Again the memory repeated with a few differences each time. Over time some of the differences became more dramatic like the shooter being the Joker, Two-Face, or the Scarecrow. Sometimes Bruce's parents were replaced with other people like Robin and Batgirl.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dick glared at the Bat who seemed to be delighted over how disgusted everyone was.

"Why do you keep showing and changing it? We get the point!"

The Bat beamed.

"Because Bruce has seen that nightmare almost every time he goes to sleep. Of course it changes sometimes that he is not exactly sure what exactly happened anymore, but the essential things are always there. His parents were killed in front of him over one man's greed. Do you know what it is like to see that every night? How alone and isolated it makes you feel to be haunted? To be tormented by one of the cruelest things a child can witness over and over again?"

No response to the Bat's monologue. The Bat grinned again.

"That's what I thought," it said before hitting the screen. The screen went white again.

"Unfortunately those nightmares are not the only thing we have here," the Bat announced.

The screen then showed an image of Batman hanging on a pole for dear life. A giant image of his father was looking at him. They were not sure if it was a dream or a hallucination. The image of his father began to fade into a demon looking skeleton.

"You are a disgrace!" the ghostly image of Batman's father echoed.

"No. No," Batman muttered pathetically as he struggled to hold onto the pole. Suddenly with a look of determination he directly looked into the skeletal image.

"You are not my father!" he said with defiance. "I am not a disgrace!"

With a new look of determination, he glared into the sky.

"I am vengeance. I am the night. I…am…Batman!" he shouted dramatically as the image faded away.

"Do you see?" hissed the Bat as the monitor changed to a new scene. "Batman fears failure!"

The group next saw a slew of memories mainly focusing on the times Batman failed to save anyone, especially Two-Face's tragic transformation from ally to villain.

John could not help but feel sympathy for batman. As much as Batman may have been an asshole, he had good intentions. He was trying to do the right thing and seemed to be judging himself too harshly. But why had he seemed to show no remorse after the Apocalypse '09?

Diana was in like mindset. She was concerned why Batman seemed to show no remorse or blame himself for what went wrong a few years ago, yet he seemed to blame everything else on himself.

As if reading their minds, the Bat spoke again.

"Batman's greatest fear though, is doing harm to others. He does not show it, but he always fears he will hurt others."

The monitor changed. It showed Batman and Batgirl looking worried talking to some suspects. Dick caught on immediately.

"Stop!" he cried. He didn't want them to see what happened to Tim. Not yet. Not this early in the journey.

The Bat grinned.

"Very well. I won't show it. Another realm will show it though," the Bat threatened.

"Show what?" asked Superman.

"One of Batman's greatest fears that came true. Don't worry there is plenty of other nightmares for me to show!"

And with that the image on the monitor showed another nightmare. This time Batman was tied up, beaten bloodied. The entire Akrham roster was in the manor grinning wickedly. Killer Croc was holding someone squirming.

"Leave him alone!" Batman begged. "It's me you want!"

"Precisely Batman!" Joker laughed manically. "This is the best way for us to hurt you!"

They finally realized it was Dick who was squirming. A much younger Dick who was still in a Robin costume.

"Finish him off Croc!" Joker ordered. Croc grinned and sank his fangs onto Dick's shoulder. Dick screamed in pain. The villains around clapped in glee.

"Don't finish him off too quick!" Scarecrow warned. "We want to drag it out as long as you can!"

The Bat stopped the feed and looked at Dick directly.

"You always thought Bruce was a jerk for kicking you and the others out. Did you ever once think part of him was not motivated by stubborn pride but a fear that something like this would happened?"

Dick bowed his head in shame. The Bat was not done.

"Did you ever consider that everything Bruce had done was to protect you? No you didn't. You never understood him-"

"He had no right to control my life! I was an adult!" Dick spoke defiantly.

The Bat kept its cool.

"Even so, you still had no right to do this…"

The scene showed Dick now much older and Bruce arguing. It appeared they were in a hospital.

"I want to see him!"

"He's my responsibility!"

"Barbara called me! She said you took her costume away from her! What's going on Bruce?"

"She's fired. There is no more Batgirl or Robin. I will be working alone now…"

"Bullshit! I don't care! Gotham is not just your city. If they want to help they have every right…"

"No one else is going to get hurt anymore because of me! No one else!"

Dick felt guilty. At the time the memory happened, he was so angry and proud he did not realize the look of hurt and pain on Batman's face during the argument.

"Fine. You can't stop me though. I'll just stay in Bludhaven! Don't call me again unless you are going to apologize!"

Bruce grabbed and glared at his adopted son.

"Dick please!"

"I have had enough Bruce! I'm getting out before this ship sinks. You say you don't want others to get hurt, well you hurt them when you push them away like this! It's why you are going to die alone, and why you are not my father!"

That insult caused Bruce to let go. Bruce seemed shocked by the impact. He looked like he was about to collapse. Dick did not seem to notice but had broken free and stormed off the minute Bruce's grip had slackened.

Dick bowed his head in shame. What had he done?

The Bat then turned to the group.

"He's not the only one!" it said as it pointed an accusatory finger. "Here's another of Batman's worst nightmares that almost came true!"

The screen showed Batman hurrying along like a mad man along the halls of the Watchtower. Every corridor seemed to be littered with bodies. It did not take them long to realize that many of the bodies were members of the League.

Finally Batman reached the founders room and took a look around.

"No!" Batman cried. They never saw him lose control like that. The founder's room was littered with the bodies of the other six. John and Shayera were holding hands. Wally was laying spread eagle, it looked like he had tried to protect the rest.

J'onn was still sitting in his chair, his eyes faded and blank. But at the head of the room was where Superman and Wonder Woman laid. It seemed they took the brunt of the attack. Their blood was spilling everywhere.

An image of Bruce's father appeared in the room, covered in blood.

"Look what you have done Bruce! You hurt them! You hurt everyone! It's all your fault!"

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Batman begged and fell to his knees, sobbing with great sorrow.

"You are cursed. A disgrace. You destroy everything you touch!"

"No! No!"

The monitor went dead, leaving the group in silence.

There was no question among the six founders that Batman felt remorse for his actions with the counter measures. Some like John were still wondering why Batman was too proud to show any remorse. One thing was for certain though. They all did seem to understand why Bruce was usually distant.

Diana did not know what to think. She had been so mad by Batman's betrayal but now, she was not so sure. Everything she had seen made her pity Bruce. To her he always seemed to be fearless. All this time he was always scared and he never showed it. How she wished he showed that to her and the rest. They could have helped him.

Wally and Shayera were unsure. They always saw Batman as almost incorruptible. Never scared. To see that he lived with this constantly made them begin to doubt themselves.

"You all thought Batman was a man without fear, well you thought wrong. Batman was always afraid. He was always scared. He constantly battled with his own nightmares and fears. But none of you ever noticed. You never saw the tortured soul being swallowed in despair and fear. You saw what you wanted to see…"

"Are you done?" Superman replied angrily. He was already hurt by the slew of images they were shown. He already felt guilty enough. The Bat was just torturing him.

The Bat grinned.

"I could show you much more nightmares and fears of Batman, but I feel like I got my point across. Now," the Bat said stepping forward. "Let us begin the test!"

J'onn walked up to Diana.

"Diana, I think you should do it," he whispered. "You have been trained and drilled to keep your fears buried by the Amazons."

"But J'onn," she rebutted. "I'm always relying on my emotions and after seeing this, I'm not so sure I can do this-"

"I pick who will be tested!" the Bat interrupted with anger. "Unlike Willpower, I make my tests harder. I will instead be picking who is the most scared right now. In fact to be fair, I will select two!"

And before anyone could say anything two yellow spotlights shown on the group. One was on Dick who seemed surprised he was selected. The other was on Wally who was a little nervous.

"I-I'm not that scared-" Wally complained.

"You cannot hide your fears from me boy!" the Bat threatened. "I know you Wallace West! You are always scared. It is why you act like a fool! You don't want anyone to see how scared and insecure you really are!"

The Bat then looked at Dick.

"The same goes for you Richard Grayson. You think your light hearted attitude is fooling everyone but I know the truth. You are always afraid. Ever since that day in the circus you were always afraid!"

Neither Dick nor Wally bothered to rebut those accusations. Instead they both put on looks of resignation and stepped forward. They needed to save Batman, even though they felt like they were going to lose their nerves any moment.

"Excellent," the Bat hissed. "I will enjoy watching you two succumb to fear…"

"Dick, Wally," Superman said. "You don't have to do this…"

"We need to do this Supes," Wally said. Superman could tell Wally was scared but he was still trying to stand tall.

"For Bruce," Dick whispered.

Superman sighed and relented.

"Follow me," the Bat whispered and led Dick and Wally away from the group.

**The memory of the Final Battle of the Joker will be in another realm as the Bat said mainly because I felt another emotion went better with it than fear did. Five points if you can guess which one it will appear in.**


	20. Nightmares in the Cave

Wordlessly, the two young heroes followed the tall Bat as it led them away from the group. It took them to the far end of the cave; pass the giant penny and dinosaur into an area Dick was sure he never visited before.

Finally they stopped at the entrance to another cavern. For a while the three just stood there. It did not take Dick or Wally long to realize they were supposed to go on. Quietly, they slowly continued on into the smaller cavern. As soon as they were a good distance inside, they heard a rumbling. They both turned around in time to see the cavern being caved in at the entrance, blocking their way to the main cave.

The lights went out immediately.

Dick being the resourceful one, immediately had a bright white flashlight to illuminate their surroundings. He saw Wally looking nervous at where the entrance just was.

"You know your superspeed could have escaped that. In fact I'm sure you can vibrate through that."

"Yeah but somehow I think that would get us disqualified."

Dick smirked at the remark, before his senses picked up something.

"What is it?" Wally asked, noticing the growing look of alarm on Dick's face.

Dick took a sniff of the air. It was a familiar scent. A scent he knew too well.

"Gas…" he explained darkly.

"What?"

"Scarecrow's gas to be specific. It appears the test has manifested itself into that. I guess it's going to conjure up our worst fears."

"Why does it need to be Scarecrow's gas? Couldn't the Bat just shapeshift into our worst fears like it did for Lobo? It seems over the top and unnecessary."

"You know Bruce. Everything is theatrical and over the top with him."

"So what do we do?" asked Wally who was trying to breathe as little as he could.

"Inhale it. That is the point. No use to fighting it," Dick muttered. He already was starting to fill dizzy. He remembered what Batman taught him when dealing with Scarecrow. Keep his heart rate calm.

For a while the two stood in the dark cavern wordlessly. It seemed nothing happened.

Finally Wally broke the silence.

"Well so much for that. What were you expecting Dick?"

But Wally noticed Dick did not seem to be moving. He was standing still.

"Dick?" Wally said nervously and walked up to Nightwing cautiously. "You okay buddy?"

Still Dick did not move. He seemed to be paralyzed. His facial expression appeared blank.

"Dick stop it, this isn't funny," Wally replied nervously. Still no response from Nightwing.

In frustration Wally waved his hand in front of Dick. Dick remained immobile like a statue. Wally could feel his heart rate pick up. Did the gas do something funny to Dick?

Wally in vain waved his hand again and this time he caught some movement. He saw Dick's eyes move a fraction of inch. Nervously Wally tried moving his hand again, much slower. He saw Dick's eyes move slowly, trying to follow, but still way behind Wally's pace.

"No!" Wally cried. This couldn't be happening. He was moving too fast! It was just like that nightmare with Doctor Destiny. Wait a minute! This was just a hallucination. A bad dream! Just like last time! He needed to stay calm. He beat it once before.

"Come on Wally, you are just imagining this. You can beat this!" he whispered to himself.

"What are you talking about Wally?" Dick asked. He was really getting confused by Wally's antics. For awhile the speedster kept calling his name and waving his hand in his face. Now he was sitting in the corner muttering to himself to stay calm.

"Wally, it's alright. None of it is real," Dick tried to explain. But his words seemed to not reach the speedster. Dick made to go up to him to try to reach him better, but he felt a presence behind him. Immediately he turned around.

Someone paled and bloodied was staring at him with disproval.

"Dad?" Dick cried nervously. His father was in his old acrobat costume except it was covered in blood. His father's face was also pale. Another figure appeared beside his father.

"Mom?"

Like his father his mother too was in her acrobat uniform except it was stained with blood and her skin was pale like her husband. Both their eyes were white and without pupils.

"Why didn't you save us?" Dick's father said.

"It is your fault!" his mother accused, pointing a cold finger at him.

By now Dick forgot where he was. The sight of his parents was unnerving him.

"I didn't mean to…"

"You saw Zucco cut the rope!" his father yelled. "You said nothing!"

"I didn't see him cut the rope! I just recognized him! I tried to warn you!" Dick begged. It took him years to get over the guilt over his parents' murderer.

"You are a coward! A failure!" his father accused.

Wally meanwhile was still huddling in the corner muttering to himself.

"Not there. Not there," he repeated. Finally he looked up. Dick was gone.

"Dick?" he cried nervously.

No answer. He was all alone.

He got up to his feet nervously before turning around. There were five people in the cavern with him now. Their sudden appearance caused him to jump in fright. It was the other founders of the Justice League minus Batman. Except they looked different when he last saw them. Their eyes had no pupils and instead glowed a bright yellow.

"Look at him, always scared. He is a coward!" boomed Superman, his voice sounding evil.

"I don't see why we even bother with him! He is a loser!" hissed Wonder Woman wickedly.

"We should have left him to die in the Speed Force! He's such a screw up he can't even save the day without putting himself at risk!" accused Shayera.

"Boneheaded idiot!" John cried.

"Slacker!" J'onn accused as well.

"You are a disgrace! A failure! An immature idiot who does not deserve to be even in the League!" Superman taunted.

"Not listening," Wally said and covered his ears in attempt to ignore it.

"We only put up with you because we pity you!" Shayera said.

"Do us all a favor and just quit! Give up!" Diana demanded.

On the other side Dick was practically weeping on his knees, begging his parents for forgiveness.

"It's too late son!" Dick's father said. "You failed us!"

"You failed me!" boomed a baritone voice. Dick looked beyond his parents and saw a figure in black emerge from the shadows as his parents faded away. The figure had glowing yellow eyes.

"Bruce?" Dick asked unsure. It looked so much like Batman except the yes glowed yellow.

"You failed me! You are a disgrace! The day you left was the happiest day of my life! You were such a burden!"

Dick bowed his head and sobbed. Never did he expect in all his life to hear this. Not only his parents were calling him a failure, but the man who raised him like a father was as well.

"Look at you! Pathetic!" hissed Batman. "I don't even know why I took you in!"

000000000

As both Dick and Wally slowly cowered to hear the people they always look up to call them out for their failures, their cries were reaching beyond the walls of the cavern.

Superman could hear them. It pained him so much. He knew whatever the two were experiencing; it was causing them much distress.

Finally when he couldn't take the cries anymore he made a step forward.

"Where are you going?" Diana asked.

"I'm not going to let them be tortured by this!" Superman stated and made his way to the Bat.

"Let me through!" Superman threatened, his eyes hinting laser vision at the Bat.

The Bat just smiled viciously.

"If you interrupt this now, they might lose their sanity. They have to beat this on their own accord."

Superman glared and was tempted to ignore the warning and bust down the cave wall but he felt a gentle but strong hand on his shoulder restraining him.

"Come on Kal," Diana whispered. "Have faith."

Sighing Superman relented and made his way back to the rest of the group. They could still hear the cries and pleas from the two young heroes.

00000

"Stop it!" Wally begged. He couldn't bare it anymore. Now Linda had joined the five founders in taunting him.

"Look at him, such a crybaby."

"He's always a coward!" whispered a baritone voice. The founders and Linda disappeared and were replaced by an image of Batman.

"He is not fit to be a hero! What kind of hero is always scared?"

Wally reeled back from the insult. He was always afraid. He tried to hide it; protect himself by always keeping up a good attitude. Now that defense was broken. He felt exposed and weakened now. He was afraid…

"Stop it!" Wally heard someone faint calling in the distance. He recognized the voice. It was Dick. Where was he? He almost forgot about him.

"Dick!" Wally called. He could not see in the blackness. Listening carefully, he heard a faint cry. Dick was nearby.

Getting to his feet, the speedster made his way to the sound of the voice.

But his way was blocked by Batman.

"Always running. That is what you always are doing Wally!" taunted Batman who now had fangs.

Wally used his speed to avoid Batman. The sound of Dick's cries were louder. He finally found Dick was huddled in the corner, shivering. Wally almost puked. He never saw Dick like that. So vulnerable, defenseless.

"Dick!" Wally shouted and rushed up to his friend. "Dick!" he shouted again.

"Leave me alone!" Dick shouted blindly to the darkness. Not recognizing that it was Wally next to him.

"Dick it's me!' shouted Wally who slapped Nightwing in the face. He didn't know what else he could do. That seemed to have brought some clarity to Dick.

"Wally?" Dick asked confused looking at Wally. He still had his flashlight on him. Wally sighed with relief.

"I'm alright. Are you okay?" the speedster asked with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Do you think it's over?"

But before Wally could answer, they heard a hiss.

"It's far from over!" hissed Batman stepping towards them.

"Dick are you seeing like a demon looking Batman? Scarier than the one outside?"

"Yeah, and he is just as ugly," muttered Dick.

The image of Batman laughed.

"Always trying to mask your fears and insecurities the both of you. But you don't fool me! I see you for what you really are! Failures! Cowards!"

Dick and Wally cowered as Batman made his way closer.

"Give up and submit to fear! You are no fit to call yourselves heroes!" Batman demanded. "A hero doesn't get scared!"

Dick wanted to give up. Their cause seemed hopeless. There was no way out. But something about what Batman had just said sparked something in Dick. A feeling of defiance. A willingness to stand up for himself. Batman always was effective at getting Dick to stick up for himself.

Dick got to his feet.

Batman laughed. "Your effort is remarkable. But you can't beat me! I can smell the fear inside of you! You are all alone!"

"He's not alone!" cried Wally who also got to his feet.

The Batman chuckled. "You are both failures! You will always be afraid!"

Dick glared.

"You are not Batman!" he shouted.

"He would never laugh like that!" Wally chimed in. Both heroes began to step forward slowly to Batman. The image stopped laughing and now looked at them, uncertain.

"You're wrong!" Dick shouted. "Being afraid doesn't make us unfit as heroes!"

"If there is anything Batman and the League taught me, it's okay to be scared!" Wally shouted and aimed a well good punch at Batman. It hit hard. Batman began to shriek. Dick jumped in the air and placed a well aimed kick.

"Batman was always afraid!" Nightwing responded as the image of the Batman reeled back. They could tell they were beating it.

"What made him a hero was he would always fight to the end! Even when he was afraid!" Wally shouted back and began to repeatedly punch the image of Batman all over the place, which seemed to shrink after each blow.

"That is something you won't understand!" Dick shouted and picked up Batman by the throat and looked into the empty yellow eyes. "Being brave doesn't mean never being scared, it means doing something even when you are afraid!"

And with that, Dick punched the image of Batman square in the face. Batman howled in pain and dropped to his knees. Instead of a deep baritone groan, he was now shrieking very much like a bat. Batman was on his knees now screeching and shaking violently. Wally and Dick stood by and watched as Batman continued to keep vibrating rapidly until he exploded into dust.

Silence fell after that.

"That was pretty cool," muttered Wally.

"You weren't so bad yourself," Dick complimented.

Suddenly the sound of something opening got their attention. They could see a faint light in the distance. The cavern was opening up again.

Laughing together, Dick and Wally placed their arms around each other and made their way to the yellow light.

000000

When Superman first saw the cavern open appear again he was not sure what to think. But then when he heard laughter he was feeling alarmed. Did Dick and Wally lose their minds?

However before Superman could think more about it, Dick and Wally had emerged, arms wrapped on each other shoulders laughing together. The League gave a sigh of relief. They could tell the two were laughing on their own accord, not a product of madness.

The duo was happy they made it out together.

"Don't worry guys, we did it!' Dick said triumphantly.

"Whoooh!" Wally cried, pumping his fist in the air and looking at the Bat who just stood in the corner watching them with its eyes.

In response to Wally's chant for victory, the Bat suddenly lunged and snarled at the celebrating duo. Dick immediately dropped into a defensive stance while Wally flinched.

The Bat let out a throaty chuckle.

"Now you understand. To be a Master of Fear is not blocking it, but accepting it. To conquer Fear, you must immerse yourself in it!" the Bat explained. "That is why Batman is so good at striking fear into others! He has accepted fear into his…"

"Yeah, yeah. Can we get our reward and get out of here?" Wally complained. He wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

Sighing with reluctance, the Bat lifted its two clawed hands at Nightwing and Flash. Yellow light began to glow out of each palm. In a manner of seconds, the Bat held in one hand a glowing yellow gun and in another hand two small yellow glowing bullets.

Dick looked at the Bat questioningly.

"It was one gun and two bullets that made Bruce always have nightmares since he was eight years old. It is why this gun and two bullets are Bruce's Emblem of Fear!" the Bat explained.

Uneasily, Dick took the gun as Wally grabbed the two bullets.

"Don't load the gun until the time comes," the Bat warned, looking at both of them.

"What time?" Wally asked.

The Bat did not answer but turned away and began to walk away deeper into the cave, away from the group and light from the yellow lamps which was dimming.

"Hey wait!" Shayera called. "How do we get out of here?"

The staircase they had descended had vanished earlier. The Bat turned around and looked at the group.

"This realm is the batcave. The next realm you go to, takes on the appearance of the Manor. Appropriate because these emotions are often connected. Go up the stairs and it will take you to the next realm."

As it spoke, a staircase appeared like the one they came down. Except this one was illuminated by orange light. J'onn groaned. He was hoping they would be entering that realm later, not this early.

After staring at the new staircase, the group turned around to find the Bat was gone. The yellow lights in the cave were continuing to dim while the orange lights were glowing brighter.

"Come on. Let's go," Superman said and ushered the group to the stairs.

John and Shayra were the first to reach the staircase. After them came J'onn and Lobo. Lob had his gun out again, ready to shoot anything. Or more like wanting to shoot something. Wally and Dick were behind the Czarnian, silently congratulating and fist bumping each other for their success. Diana and Superman brought up the rear.

Superman took one look around. Even though the orange lights had gotten brighter, the cave somehow seemed to have disappeared when the yellow lamps went out.

"Are you okay?" Diana asked, noticing Superman's look of worry.

"Yeah. Let's go, this place gives me the creeps."

But as Superman began to descend the case, his super hearing thought he picked up the familiar whisper of the Bat.

"_I warn you Superman. Do not take the next realm lightly. It will consume all of you if you are not careful. You will lose all of them."_

Superman shook his head. He was just imagining it. He sped up to catch up with Diana and the rest of the group.

**Why does J'onn fear the next realm? Why does the Bat think they won't survive the next test? Find out next chapter as they enter the new realm. Five points if you can guess who the manifestation of that realm will be. We already had the old man and the Bat. Who is next?**


	21. Avarice

**This is a long chapter but an important one. It is a game changer for the plot.**

"You okay?" Diana asked, noticing J'onn seemed to be very tense at the moment.

J'onn forced a smile.

"I'm fine Diana."

"Are you sure?" she asked as they continued up the staircase. It seemed to go on for miles. They lost track of time. Not that time mattered where they were anyways.

"Just worried," J'onn said. He didn't want to tell Diana what he thought lied ahead.

"We all are. But you have been getting us through this J'onn. You are doing a great job," she complimented as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

J'onn felt guilty. He felt that he did not deserve Diana's compliment, but he was not going to reject it. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I believe you should talk to Superman. He seems more worried than I," the Martian said beckoning to the rear. Superman had kept looking behind nervously.

"I suppose I should," Diana mused and fell back to the rear to calm Superman down. Meanwhile Flash had slowed down so that J'onn was now next to him as they continued walking.

"So what emotion's next?"

"Well it's orange, so I would say Avarice," J'onn explained. He was pretty confident Wally would not know what that meant.

"Greed?" Wally asked curiously.

J'onn, trying to not show his surprise, nodded.

"Yes. Jealousy, desire, greed, the whole lot."

"Do you think there would ever be an Orange Lantern Corps then? I mean if it's greed, then wouldn't they all be too greedy to share their power rings or whatever they use?" Wally asked thoughtfully.

J'onn shrugged.

"I guess you should ask John that."

"Well this is going to be an easy one. I mean let's be honest. Batman's not greedy! And neither are half of us! We got this beat!" Wally said encouragingly.

J'onn was not as optimistic. Morgaine le Fay showed that even he was capable of falling for temptation. What would Bruce's mind have in store for them? He just had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy.

Noticing J'onn did not share his enthusiasm, Wally asked another question.

"What, do you think to past the next test we will need the greediest out of us? Why don't we just use…_him_?" Wally whispered while pointing to Lobo who was looking more trigger happy by the second.

J'onn sighed.

"The truth is Flash, I have no idea. It could be who is the greediest or it could be who conquers greed. I just don't think it is going to be that simple."

Flash decided he did not want to hear what J'onn was thinking what they were in for and instead tried to keep a positive attitude.

"Well, we've been in tight spots before, we'll make it!" he encouraged as he placed a gentle comforting hand on J'onn's shoulder.

Back in the rear, Diana was walking side by side with Superman.

"That has to be the tenth time you checked over your shoulder for the past five minutes," she remarked.

Superman blushed a little embarrassingly. His boy scout grin reflecting in the glowing orange light on the never ending stairs.

"Keeping track?" he asked.

"I'm just concerned. I don't want you to get distracted when we need you."

Superman's posture relaxed and he let out a relieving sigh.

"I think I heard the Bat say something before we left."

"What?"

"It said something like we would not make the next one. It said the next realm would destroy us all."

Diana bit her lip.

"Clark. We have been in impossible fights before. We will not fail you, because we know you will not fail us," Diana remarked giving Superman a loving look.

"Thank you Diana. I honestly don't know where I would be without you."

"You're my friend Clark. It's what we do."

For a while the two just walked up the stairs in silence. Finally Diana, desiring to continue a conversation with her best friend, spoke again.

"Did you and Lois ever think about having kids?"

"What?" Superman asked, a little taken aback by her bluntness in that question.

"I'm sorry. It's not my business…"

"No. No. You weren't doing anything wrong. It's just we haven't really thought about that yet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean we both aren't sure if we can even have any kids due to us having two different physiologies…"

"You can always adopt."

Superman nodded.

"The other reason is I don't think I would be a good father like Pa. I don't know if I have it in me."

Diana grabbed Superman's hand.

"Clark, if there was anyone I could see as being a great father, it's you. I'm sure if you and Lois ever do have a child, whether biologically or through adoption, you two would make great parents."

Superman beamed at that remark.

"Thanks Di."

"It's what I'm here for."

"Why are you interested in kids all of a sudden?" Superman asked sharply, cocking an eyebrow.

Diana blushed.

"No reason. Just curious."

She was never good at lying.

"No come on, tell me," Superman teased.

Diana sighed. It was time she let someone know. He deserved to know at least.

Looking ahead to make sure the others were not eavesdropping she lowered her voice and whispered into Superman's ear.

"Tom proposed."

"What?" Superman said loudly causing even Shayera and John who were way out in front to look down at Superman curiously.

Superman grinned sheepishly and the group continued their ascent. When he deemed it safe to talk to Diana again he continued.

"He proposed? When?"

"The day after we brought Batman in. He said it made him realize how dangerous both our jobs were and he couldn't hold back. He said he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't let me know he was ready to spend the rest of his life with me."

"And what did you say?"

Diana sighed.

"I told him I couldn't give an answer. You know with this whole thing going on, it would be in bad taste. He understood though. He said he would wait for me to give an answer when this was over."

"But if this was not going on. What would your answer be?" Superman asked curiously.

Diana hesitated. She was not comfortable telling anyone yet.

"Diana, don't make me use your own lasso," Superman joked.

Diana half chuckled.

"Honestly. I guess I would say yes. I mean it makes sense. We are very compatible and he understands me. He's also very cute. What more could I want?"

"I'm happy for you," Superman said. Diana could see in his eyes he meant it too.

Diana smiled.

"Thanks Kal."

"But what's this have to do with kids?"

Diana laughed a little.

"I don't know. Tom and I were talking the night before we came to this place. Children came up. He asked if I wanted any children."

"Do you?"

Diana paused. She didn't really think about it for awhile since she was distracted. But now, she had more time to reflect since the staircase seemed endless.

"I guess it would be nice. I'm not sure if I could have any but we could always adopt. We were already picking names though."

"Really?"

Diana nodded.

"We made a deal. I pick the first girl's name and he picks the first boy's name."

"That implies you will have multiple children," Superman said grinning.

"What can I say? My mother told me I had good maternal instincts once."

"So what would the names be?"

"I always liked Athena for a girl's name," Diana explained. "Tom wants to name the boy Thomas. Call him Tom for short."

"So he's naming the boy after himself? Talk about ego," Superman teased.

Diana playfully elbowed him.

"Hey it's a good name. Besides, his father and grandfather shared that name. It's a tradition in his family."

"I know, I'm just teasing. It's been awhile since we have been able to talk like this."

"I know. I thoroughly enjoy…"

"Hey I think we're here!" John shouted, stopping at what appeared to be the top of the stair case.

Diana looked up. She could see a bright glowing orange light coming out of what appeared to be the cave exit.

"I guess we are," she observed.

"About fraggin' time! When do we get to do something besides walkin' and talkin'?" Lobo complained and made his way up front. Pretty soon all of the group reached the top of the staircase. No one willing to enter the source of the orange light yet.

"Ready?" Dick asked as he decided to be the first to enter. The Bat said the realm would appear like the Manor. How bad could it be?

The group nodded and followed Dick.

Immediately the founders and Dick realized they were indeed inside the Manor. Except everything about it seemed to be orange and glowing. They could also hear what sounded like music. There was a fancy party was going on in another room.

"Oooh, shiny!" Lobo exclaimed, pointing to a jewelry glass cabinet in the hallway.

"Don't touch anything!" J'onn warned.

Lobo looked reluctant but restrained himself. Btu before they could decide on the next move, a door opened.

"O I'm so glad you could make it! Come on! Join the party!" shouted a drunken voice.

"Bruce?" Superman asked unsure to the newcomer.

The drunk looked like Bruce but different. He seemed cartoonish, idiotic.

"That's Bruce Wayne to you!" the caricature of Bruce said laughing. He was in a tuxedo. His face covered in lipstick. He was holding what appeared to be wine.

"Right this way!" he drawled on.

Unsure, the group nervously followed the Playboy into the main hall.

There was party going on. Guests were dancing, socializing, drinking and other things one would expect people to do at a lucrative party. What was alarmingly different though there seemed to be all sorts of people at the party. Socialites, businessmen, homeless people, doctors, lawyers, firemen, police cops, and construction workers. Not the typical guest list you would see at a high class party.

"Allow me to introduce myself!" the Playboy said in a booming voice as he led the group to the center of the room. The guests did not seem to notice they were there or that the Playboy was talking loudly. It was like they were in another world.

"I take it you are the manifestation of Avarice?" J'onn said, looking around nervously.

"Correct! I am the symbol of Avarice for Bruce! His own playboy persona! Anything a man could desire! Booze, money, sex! I'm all that!"

"You aren't Bruce!" Dick shot back. He did not like how the Playboy was tarnishing Bruce's image.

The Playboy flashed a grin.

"You don't know Bruce as you like. He has his own desires and temptations! Everybody does! Why do you think everyone in Gotham is at this party? Do you think only the rich are greedy? Everyone is greedy! Man is greedy! Sentient beings are greedy!"

"That's not true!" Superman retorted.

The Playboy just gave another cheesy smile.

"Even the lowest animal has a concept of self-serving interest. It is the nature of life. Self-preservation. Everyone has their own desires. Sure some are able to hold it back, but in the end, people still have this basic drive to get what they want!"

Superman looked over and noticed Lobo was trying to get one of the female guest's attention.

"Hey babe, you want go for a ride on my Hog? I can show you the stars…"

"Lobo get over here!" Superman cried angrily and forcibly dragged Lobo away.

"You suck!" Lobo complained.

The Playboy just looked even more amused.

"I rest my case. I can sense it in all of you. You all have desires."

"Isn't there something you want to show us?" J'onn asked. He wanted to get out of this realm as fast as possible.

Looking a little disappointed that his speech was being interrupted, the Playboy gave a bored sigh.

"Very well. I could show you all of temptations and desires that both Batman and Bruce Wayne have gone through, but I will settle to show you just one."

"One?" Dick asked unsure. That did not sound like a good thing. What was he going to show them?

The Playboy grinned evilly.

"I will show you all Batman's deepest desire. Even Batman has something he wants so dearly that he would trade almost anything to get it."

And with that the Playboy snapped his fingers. Immediately a screen had come up along one of the manor walls. A film started playing. The scene showed Superman having something on his chest. It was black and purple. Batman was doing all his best to try to get it off him.

Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged worried looks. They immediately recognized that memory. It was when Superman was subdued by his own deepest desire from the Black Mercy.

Diana remembered even though she was nearly beaten to death by Mongul, she somehow had found the strength to pull it off Bruce. He wasn't the same after that incident. He was withdrawn and quiet. She and Kal tried to talk to Bruce but he brushed him off. Whatever Batman saw while under the influence of the Black Mercy disturbed him greatly.

Diana was not sure if they should watch this but her curiosity got the better of her so he continued to watch the screen with the rest of the group.

Finally the group saw that Batman had managed to get the plant creature off of Superman, which immediately attached itself onto Batman. The scene changed. They were now watching a black and white film.

A familiar family was walking down an alleyway.

The group immediately recognized it. Even though they saw different versions of that memory in the Realm of Fear, the premise was the same. Bruce was walking with his parents down the alleyway.

Bruce was happily pretending to sword fight at nothing before someone stepped forward. They all held their breath when the mugger stepped into the light, pointing the gun at the family and demanding the pearls.

Diana got ready. They were going to see the tragedy once more. Hadn't they seen enough?

But something was different. Instead, Thomas Wayne suddenly jumped on the mugger with surprising speed that the mugger was caught off guard. Bruce's father began to repeatedly pummel the mugger and fight for the gun.

The group noticed how Martha's face went from horror to admiration as her husband defended his family. She placed her hands on Bruce's shoulders.

The look of terror on Bruce's face had vanished. Instead he was gleeful, like a little kid on Christmas morning. He also had a look of pride. He was proud of his father.

"Get him Dad! Get him!" he encouraged as his father continued to beat the mugger to a pulp.

John was disturbed. He shouldn't be enjoying this but he was like the younger version of Bruce at the moment. He was getting a satisfaction seeing Thomas Wayne beat the scumbag to the pavement.

Shayera was enjoying it more than her husband. She was close to shouting words of encouragement like Bruce was in the fantasy.

Superman could only look on in horror. He now understood why Bruce locked himself in the cave that following week. Bruce was ashamed that his deepest desire was to see his father beat a criminal to death and haunted to have to live through all the pain that memory brought him again. Superman remembered the feeling of loss and outrage when the Black Mercy was taken off of him.

Dick was horrified. Not necessary at the playback of the fantasy but rather that he was not surprised this would be Bruce's greatest desire. Dick always felt Bruce had a darker side. A sadistic side that sometimes enjoyed beating and scaring criminals. Dick knew this because he felt that feeling sometimes when he went out on patrol. Nothing more better to fill the emptiness than getting the satisfaction of bringing pure justice on those who deserved it.

Lobo was thoroughly enjoying the fantasy.

"Kick his ass!" he said, encouraging Thomas Wayne like the young Bruce was.

Suddenly the founder's heard a cry on the video. It sounded faint and distorted. It seemed no one in the fantasy had heard it. What was alarming was the voice sounded familiar.

Diana knew it was her voice. In desperation she had called Bruce's name multiple times in hopes of reaching him when she had tried to rip the Black Mercy off of him.

"BRUCE!" the voice was heard again and louder this time. There was no mistaken that it was Diana's voice in the fantasy.

Many of the group were given her a questioning and surprised look.

The young Bruce in the fantasy heard her voice too. His face slowly went from happiness to a look of sad realization. The group could see in the fantasy that the fight had change. The mugger somehow had the upper hand now. He had knocked Thomas down and had the gun pointed, ready to fire.

The look on Bruce's face was horrifying. Bruce looked like he was on the verge of tears. Bruce began to cringe in horror just as a bullet was fired at Thomas.

There was a flash of light and the projection now showed Bruce as an adult, in Batman costume, knocked to the ground. The creature was off him and Diana was currently wrestling it in the background.

Diana at that time had been too busy with the Black Mercy; she had not notice the look on Batman's face when she got the Mercy off him.

He looked like someone had ripped out his heart. He had the same face they saw that the young Bruce had in the fantasy before the mugger fired the gun.

Guilt swept Diana. She had done that to him. She was mad how Batman was distant to her after that incident. She never understood it. Now she did. She had literally broke his heart and made him have to relive the pain he carried his entire life all over again.

Tears were streaming down her face. Superman placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. His eyes were watery as well.

For a while no one said a word. Everyone in the group had looks of horror and sadness on their faces. That look the young Bruce gave before the fantasy was destroyed haunted all of them. It would probably give them nightmares for weeks. Except Lobo who seemed disappointed that the fight was over. But still he was smart enough to know not to say anything. They were giving Batman a moment of silence.

The Playboy scoffed at them.

"Even the mighty Batman wants something! You all saw it! Even he has a weakness!"

"We saw what you wanted us to see. Can you give us the test now?" J'onn demanded. They needed to keep moving and needed to get out as fast as possible. Also he felt his friends needed to get out of here. That memory was still disturbing all of them.

The Playboy frowned.

"Why leave so soon? What is your hurry? We got plenty of time!"

"Give us the test or I will beat it out of you!" Shayera threatened.

The Playboy laughed mockingly.

"Very well! Unlike the other realms you have been to so far, no one will be selected though!" the Playboy said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked suspiciously.

"I mean you can all participate!" the Playboy explained. "This is the Realm of Avarice after all. It is fitting that its own test would be so greedy it wants all of you to get involved!"

And before they could ask for more information, the Playboy snapped his fingers. The guests at the party disappeared. The manor was now empty except for the group and the Playboy.

J'onn was trying to stay calm. He was afraid something like this was going to happen. What did Avarice have in mind that it needed all of them to participate?

"Now this will not be a measure of how greedy you are because frankly, you are all greedy" the Playboy accused. "Instead this will be a test to see if any of you can conquer your own deepest desires!"

And before the group could ask anymore, the Playboy faded away, leaving the group alone in the Manor.

"What the frag was he talking about?" Lobo asked, pulling out his gun.

Before anyone could speak, they felt a great rumbling. A crack formed on the ground and split in front of them.

There was something wiggling. Something purple and black with tentacles was trying to make its way to the surface. The group slowly backed away nervously at realization dawned on them.

It was a giant Black Mercy. Like the one they saw in Bruce's memories but different. Some of the tentacles had smaller Black Mercies on the tips. That could mean only one thing.

Before any could react, one tentacle lunged at Wally. Even with his reflexes, the sight of the creature had caught him off guard. A smaller Black Mercy had wrapped itself around the speedster. Wally did not even have time to react. Within a blink of an eye he was subdued with an idiotic grin on his face.

"Wally!" Shayera cried and charged to free him.

"Shayera wait!" John shouted trying to hold her back instead of using his ring to protect himself like he should have done.

The giant Black Mercy took advantage of John's distraction and the Green Lantern was taken down like Wally.

Shayera did not even notice what had happened to her husband. She was determined to free Wally. She swung her mace back, intent on smashing the creature off of Wally's chest.

A tentacle wrapped around Shayera's hands. She tried to struggle but it was too strong. Another smaller Black Mercy was placed on her and she too was soon lying on the ground motionless.

Lobo started to fire his gun rapidly at the creature which seemed to do some damage. Unfortunately, he tripped over one of the tentacles. A larger Black Mercy was placed on him, restraining him.

The Czarnian tried his best to resist, but he soon like the others stopped struggling.

Dick was having much more success dodging the tentacles. His acrobatic skills were helping him. Unfortunately when Lobo had been firing his gun rapidly and negligently, one blast had landed near Dick, knocking him off balance. A Black Mercy was soon on him.

J'onn, Superman, and Diana were the last ones standing.

J'onn ducked as a tentacle shot over his head.

"I'm going to try to phase through it!" he shouted and turned intangible. Hopefully he could phase through and destroy it from the inside.

However it seemed the Martian was not able to phase through the Mercy.

The monstrous plant shot a tentacle at the floating transparent Martian.

J'onn screamed in surprise that the thing was able to touch him. He received a Mercy on his chest before he even hit the ground.

"J'onn!" Diana shouted.

Superman was trying to use his laser vision but the Mercy seemed resistant to it. He was currently flying in the air out of reach of the tentacles.

Another fissure formed behind Diana and before she could react another tentacle had popped out behind her.

"DIANA!" Superman shouted and zoomed over to push her out of the way. He managed to push her just in time as the tentacle struck where Diana stood seconds ago. Unfortunately Superman was in that spot and like his fallen comrades he was ensnared by a Black Mercy.

Diana got up to her feet. She beat that thing once. She would beat it again. She would not lose. She immediately charged toward Superman intent on ripping the Mercy off of him.

She grabbed a hold of the Mercy on Superman which was rather large. If she had time to think about it, she would have noticed there was a reason why the Mercy on Superman was rather large. There was another one on it, waiting to ensnare anyone who got close.

Diana did not realize the trap until it was too late. Before she knew it the powerful tentacles were around her and her world went black.

00000

The Playboy reappeared to look at the scene before him. All the heroes were subdued. Some had looks of pleasure; others had looks of pure ecstasy. The giant Black Mercy was absorbing all the energy from their desires, growing bigger by the second.

The Playboy shook his head.

"Batman's greed has sensed what they all want. Greed swallows everything," the Playboy said cynically.

They were all doomed.

000000

J'onn shook his head. Where was he?

He was back on Mars. How did he get here?

Wait where was he earlier?

"J'onn?" a female voice was heard. "Is everything alright?"

J'onn turned around. Standing before him was his wife, My'ria'h.

Alarms went off in J'onn's head. This was not supposed to happen. Something was wrong.

"What's going on?" J'onn demanded angrily.

My'ria'h looked at him confused.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You were in the transconcious articulator for a long time earlier today. Did you overdo it?"

J'onn began to relax a little. That would explain why he seemed to feel like he was forgetting something important. But why did he feel like he was not supposed to be here though? Where was he earlier? Why did he feel like this was not real?

"Daddy!" he heard a cry and saw his two children running to him.

J'onn immediately smiled at the sight.

How could he think this was not real? The sight of his two smiling children threw all doubt out of his mind. This was not a dream. He was back on home with his family. Like he always was.

Laughing he bent down and picked up both his children.

This was what he always wanted.

000000

"Dad, are you alright?" Kal heard his son say.

Kal turned around. He was back on Krypton with his son who he was holding tightly. Kal could feel tears on his own face.

"Dad?" Van asked unsure at his father. "You said you had to go. Go where?"

Kal was still looking around. Krypton looked as it always was. Safe and secure. Why did he feel like it should have been destroyed?

Kal finally looked at his son. Something was telling him this boy was not his son.

"Dad?" Van asked again a little scared.

Kal was brought to tears. What was wrong with him? How could even think his own flesh and blood in front of him was not real? Maybe he should get his head checked.

"I'm sorry Van. Everything's alright. Everything's going to be alright," he said as he embraced his son again.

00000000

Diana smiled to herself as she flew the invisible jet. She had an excellent trip to Themryscara. Even though she was no longer banished from the island, she still lived primarily in Man's World. She had a husband and a family to look after now.

She had been surprised that her own mother, Queen of the Amazons, gave her blessing for Diana and her husband.

Everything was alright. For the first time in history, people were saying the world was at peace. There were no more wars or conflicts. The Justice League was only needed to help in natural disasters.

Her dream had come true. Man's World had learned the Amazonian way of Peace.

This of course was improving Amazon relations with men as well. Many Amazons were now starting to venture out into Man's World. Some were already finding love.

Diana smiled. She was so glad she, the Amazons, and all of mankind seemed to have finally found peace.

"Mom, how much longer?" she heard a child complain.

"Not much Tom!" Diana shouted back to her son.

"Mom! Tom won't stop touching me!" Diana heard Athena complain.

"I'm not touching you!"

"Are too!"

"Hey!" Diana threatened and turned around to give her children a stern look. Tom and Athena immediately ceased their bickering and put on innocent looks.

Diana sighed. Her children fighting were given her a little headache but she could not be mad at them. Her children; her family was her life now. Sure she was still on the Justice League but only sparingly. She had a new life now.

Pretty soon the Metro Tower came to view. Diana landed her jet on the roof.

"Why couldn't we fly it home Mommy?" Athena asked as Diana unbuckled her out.

"Daddy doesn't like it parked on the lawn."

"But it's invisible!" Tom pointed out. Diana laughed.

"It doesn't matter. He wasn't too pleased when he ran into it that one day. Besides I thought you liked the telpeorter?"

"I do!" Athena cried happily. Diana laughed at her daughter's short attention span. She would be starting school next year.

Taking bother her children by the hand she led them down to the atrium in the Metro Tower.

"Superman!" Tom cried excitedly and ran up to hug the Man of Steel who passed by them.

Superman let out a friendly laugh.

"How are you kiddo? You are getting big!"

"When are you going to take me to the Fortress?"

"We can go right now…"

Diana shot a stern look at Clark.

"…but I think we should wait until you are older."

"Aww!" Tom cried disappointed.

Diana walked up.

"Come on Tom. Superman is busy."

With reluctance Tom climbed down from the Man of Steel.

"You guys are still coming over to Smallville next weekend?" Superman asked hopefully.

"Of course," she smiled.

"Well I got to go, see you!" Superman said and made his way out.

Soon Diana and her two children were on the teleporter pad. Within seconds, Mister Terrific had teleported them to their home.

Tom already rushed to head to his room.

"Make sure you clean your room!" Diana called as he sprinted up the stairs.

"Is daddy coming home tonight?" Athena asked Diana hopefully.

"I don't know. He has been busy with work lately. He's still in D.C."

Athena looked a little disappointed.

"Hey now," Diana said softly and kneeled to look at her daughter's own eyes. "Daddy wants to be here for your birthday tomorrow. He really does. He is going to try to make it."

"Okay," Athena said a little disappointed.

Diana gave her daughter a loving hug.

"You know he loves you."

Athena nodded.

"Of course he does," a deep voice was heard on the other end of the hall.

"Daddy!" shouted Athena and immediately ran into her grinning father's arms.

Diana had a look of surprise on her face.

"How did you-"

"I wouldn't miss my little girl's birthday for the world," her husband explained. "When it became apparent they didn't need me really, I booked the first plane back here."

"I love you daddy," Athena said.

Diana saw her husband grin.

"I love you too," he said and kissed his little girl on the forehead.

Diana was beaming. She remembered when her husband first proposed to her it was at a bad time. She felt bad she couldn't give him an answer right away. But he was a good man and waited until she could. Saying yes was the best decision in her life. She had no regrets at all. She loved him and the family they had started.

Finally her husband put Athena down after she remarked she had to go potty. The married couple watch as their daughter made her way to the bathroom. She was growing up fast.

Diana saw her husband turn around to look into her eyes.

"Now how is my _Princess_?" he asked in a flirtatious tone before he began to kiss her on the neck.

Diana grinned and pushed him back.

"Save your energy later. I got to make dinner."

"I'm sorry, I just missed you so much," he complained in a fake dramatic voice.

Diana laughed at his cheesy joke.

"I missed you too Bruce."

**Who will break away from the influence of the Black Mercy? It will probably be someone you least expect.**


	22. The Main Man

The Playboy walked around the Manor sighing. For a minute, they looked like they were going to pass the test. Wonder Woman was close to breaking Superman free. If only she had avoided the trap, she would have probably freed Superman.

But it was too late. They failed.

The only way out of the Black Mercy was one needed someone on the outside world to snap them out of their deepest desires. The whole point of the test was one needs others to help them conquer greed. But since they were all subdued, it was hopeless. None of them could break each other out.

The Playboy took a sip form his wine glass before sighing sadly. He couldn't interfere. Sooner or later Doctor Destiny would find a way to bypass the test and take the Emblem of Avarice for himself.

Batman was doomed.

The Playboy made to walk away and leave the eight heroes to die when a slight movement came out of the corner of his eye.

One of them was still resisting the Black Mercy's effects.

Impossible. No one could escape from the Black Mercy on their own.

The Playboy turned around to see which one was slowly breaking free from the plant's influence.

When the Playboy realized who it was, his eyes widened in shock.

00000

Lobo looked around.

"Where the frag am I?" he asked confused.

"Wassup dweeb!" the Czarnian heard a familiar voice not too far away.

Lobo turned around and his eyes widened in shock. It was like staring in a mirror.

"Who are ya?" Lobo demanded pointing his gun at the fake Lobo.

Fake Lobo pulled out a chain.

"I'm what you desire most, ya' self!"

"What?" Lobo asked confused.

"Come on dude! Let's be honest! Who's more awesome than the Main Man? No one!"

Lobo nodded in agreement, "The Main Man rules!"

"Ya. I'm glad I'm ya!" fake Lobo said before dropping the chain and offering his hand. "Glad to meet ya!"

Lobo shook his imitator's hand before he realized something was wrong.

"Wait a second! If you are supposed to be me, how come you aren't me?"

Fake Lobo paused, "Yea that's a good point!"

Lobo pulled out his pistol again.

"What's going on here?"

Fake Lobo pulled out his chain, looking around suspiciously.

"I don't know, I'm confused!"

Both Lobo and Fake Lobo looked around suspiciously. Where were they?

Lobo then aimed his gun at his imposter.

"What do hell ya doing man?" Fake Lobo asked.

"There's only one Main Man, and that's me!" Lobo shouted and shot his imitator square in the face. Immediately the world around them began to tremble. A white crack had formed midair.

Lobo looked, his imposter was gone. The white crack was expanding in the meantime; more white light pouring out.

"Aww, now what?" Lobo complained as the bright light enveloped him.

00000

Lobo woke up and realized the purple plant thing was still wrapped on him. However, its grip was weakening. It seemed to be dying.

Lobo began to struggle against it while grunting as he attempted to free himself.

"Impossible!" Lobo heard the Playboy say in the distance. Lobo did not care though. He was getting out.

Finally after flexing his arms, he broke free. The little Black Mercy whined in pain.

Lobo violently slammed it down and began to stomp on it. The Czarnian then turned around to look at the giant Black Mercy which felt Lobo stomping on its smaller offspring.

"How did you escape?" the Playboy demanded angrily.

Lobo grinned.

"Ya should have realized, what the Main Man desires the most, is himself! I wouldn't trade anything for me!"

The Playboy almost dropped his wine glass in shock.

"No! This isn't right. You are supposed to fight greed with others! Not be so greedy and full of yourself that you can't be tempted!"

"If it's a fight ya want, I can do that," Lobo said menacingly with a manic gleam in his eyes. Immediately he charged at the giant plant. Dodging the tentacles, Lobo made his way on top.

Standing on top of the squirming Mercy, Lobo aimed his gun downward and repeatedly shot at the evil plant.

The Black Mercy squirmed. Meanwhile the smaller Black Mercies were loosening their grips on their prisoners.

But before Lobo could fire again, a powerful tentacle had grabbed Lobo and threw him across the room.

Lobo hit the wall with a thud.

"That's it! Now I'm kinda mad!" he threatened. None of the heroes seemed to have been broken out of their trance. Maybe he could make some noise…

Lobo then realized he was right next to a large stereo player. Why would Batman have a stereo player here?

Ignoring the monster in front of him, he scanned through the songs. All of them were crap! Didn't Batman ever listen to music besides boring rich party stuff?

The Playboy watched in confusion as Lobo on the other end of the room had seemed to ignore the monster in the center and was fiddling with the Manor stereo player. What the hell was the bounty hunter doing?

Finally Lobo found something he liked.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" he shouted gleefully and hit play. To his surprise, the stereo started to play the song he selected, which was weird considering it was just part of Batman's subconscious.

The Manor was filled with Heavy Death Metal Music. Lobo increased the volume to full max, causing the Playboy to cover his ears in frustration.

Lobo turned around and pulled out his hook and chain.

"Come and get me!" the Czarnian cried before charging back at the monster.

000000

J'onn was embracing his children when he thought he heard something. It was something faint. His family did not seem to notice.

"Do hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what J'onn?" his wife asked with concern.

J'onn paused. He could hear the sound, it was very faint. But it was there. It sounded like music. A violent type of music.

Realization slowly dawned on J'onn. He wasn't supposed to be here. This was a trick.

J'onn knew it was a matter of time before it left. But he wasn't going to let go, not yet.

Still holding his children in his arms, J'onn looked at his wife.

"Hold me," he whispered.

"What?"

"Please just hold me. I want to remember what it was like to be close to all of you," he pleaded.

My'ria'h hesitated at her husband's strange request but nonetheless relented and pulled her husband in an embrace while he still held their two children.

J'onn closed his eyes and sighed. He knew he was being selfish, but he just wanted to be close to his family one more time before he left.

000000

Kal felt dizzy again, he was hearing the strangest music.

"Dad?" Van asked worried. "Are you sure you okay?"

Kal shook his head. He was on Krypton, why was he hearing this disorganized music?

But then he remembered Krypton was gone…

His heart dropped. Not again. This can't be happening. Why did God feel the need to torture him like this?

"Dad?" Van asked trying to get his father's attention.

Superman knelt down, tears in his eyes and hugged his son again.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong…" he whispered to his son.

00000000

The Playboy now was sitting down burying his face in his hands. This was so wrong. This wasn't supposed to end up like this.

Lobo was swinging around on a chandelier by his chain while shooting rapidly at the creature; the loud music playing violently in the background. Whether it was Lobo damaging the creature or the music, the subdued heroes were starting to move. They were realizing their fantasies weren't real. It would be only a matter of time before they broke free.

"This is getting' dull!" Lobo complained and dropped from the chandelier, landing on the floor with a thud.

From his jacket he pulled a crowbar.

Slowly and menacingly Lob began to walk to the already damaged giant Black Mercy, using the crowbar to calmly whack away any tentacles that tried to block him.

"The name's Lobo," he announced continuing his slow but threatening pace while simultaneously beating away any tentacles that went near him.

"L for Lacerate! O for Obliterate! B for your Butt, which I'm about to kick! And O for Awesome!"

And with that, Lobo jumped in the air and landed on top of the giant Black Mercy and proceeded to mercilessly beat the creature to death with his crowbar.

00000

Diana was in the kitchen making dinner.

Her hearing picked up the sound of loud music being played.

Sighing she looked at Bruce who was pouring himself a drink.

"Tell your son he's not allowed to listen to music until he cleans his room," she asked.

"I don't hear anything."

"You don't have superhearing Bruce," she jabbed back. Bruce smiled at her, a genuine smile.

The music suddenly began to play louder. It wasn't coming from upstairs though. Something was wrong.

"Diana?" Bruce asked with the utmost concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just have a headache…"

Her mind was racing something was wrong. She couldn't place her finger on it. When she finally regained her focus she found herself staring into two blue eyes.

And that was when she realized what was wrong.

"This isn't real," she said with alarm while backing away from Bruce.

"Diana what are you talking about?"

"This isn't real! Stay away from me!" How did she not catch on sooner? Bruce would never smile. Wait, what was she doing with Bruce? She was supposed to be with Tom.

"Diana! Calm down," Bruce said raising his voice trying to touch her.

"Why is our son named Tom?" she demanded angrily. "Why did you pick that name?"

"My father's name was Thomas!" Bruce responded, looking a little pained by that remark. Diana wasn't done.

"When did we get married? How old are they? What day is it?" she demanded. She noticed the house seemed to be collapsing around her. Bruce seemed to not notice.

"Diana, this is real! Everything is real! I love you! Shouldn't that be enough?" he said and grasped her hands tightly.

Diana just looked into his eyes. This image of Bruce may have shown love toward her but she knew it was not true. Bruce did not love her. She did not love him. This was just a dream. Sadly Diana placed a hand on Bruce's face.

"I'm sorry Bruce, but this isn't real."

A white light appeared and Diana blacked out.

0000000

Flash woke up. What the hell just happened? One minute he was with Linda and his kids, next thing he knew, he heard loud music and was on the floor. Wait a minute? When did he have kids? When did he marry Linda?

Flash looked to his right and saw Shayera and John were stirring. They both looked troubled. Dick was not too far away getting up as well. He had a similar look like Shayera and John. A look of great loss. It was the same look that young Bruce had on his face when he realized his fantasy wasn't real.

Flash's memory started jogging again. They were attacked by the Black Mercy. They must have been shown their deepest desires. But who freed them?

Flash's question was answered by the sound of someone yelling.

In surprise the speedster and the seven other heroes who were regaining consciousness were staring in amazement at the sight before them. It wasn't Superman, J'onn, or Diana fighting the Black Mercy. It was Lobo.

Lobo continued to beat the giant Black Mercy with all his might.

"You…giant…slimy…fragger...piece…of…bastiche!" he insulted as he moved for the killing blow.

The creature screamed after the last jab went straight through its heart. It began to thrash around violently like a wounded animal. Lobo lost his balance and fell off it, landing on his back.

"Fragger," Lobo whispered.

The Black Mercy had stopped moving. It lied lifeless on the ground. It was dead.

A flash of orange light appeared and before they knew it, the remains of the giant plant were gone and the Manor was good as new.

Lobo got to his feet and aimed his pistol at the stereo system that was still playing loud music. With one shot he broke the machine and it went dead.

Taking a breath, Lobo turned around to find himself looking at some of the heroes giving him surprised looks.

"What ya staring at?" he threatened.

Superman and J'onn were both standing silently in the corner. They seemed less pained by what they had just loss from the Black Mercy. They had already learned to deal with that loss before. The pain never went away, they just got used to keeping it down.

Finally Superman broke the awkward silence.

"How did you get free?"

Lobo chuckled.

"They can't stop the Main Man. That plant tried to show me my deepest desire, well it was me! Must have caused a paradox or something, because how can my deepest desire be myself, when I' myself?" Lobo gloated.

Superman and J'onn looked at each other shaking their heads. Only Lobo would be too greedy and egotistical that he was able to break out of the Black Mercy on his own.

"Now where's my prize?" Lobo demanded to the Playboy who was standing in the corner still shocked by what happened.

"This went wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to learn together, you can conquer greed…"

"I won! Now give me my emblem majingy or I will frag your ass!" Lobo threatened pointing his pistol at the manifestation of Avarice.

Sighing the Playboy reached from his pocket and pulled out a string of pearls that were glowing orange.

"Here is the Emblem of Av-"

"Whoa, neat!" Lobo interrupted and snatched it from the Playboy before he could finish his speech.

"I was supposed to explain why this is the Emblem of Avarice! Bruce lost everything because of one man's greed over these-"

"Yeah, yeah, we saw the thing billions of times, we get the point! The mugger wanted the pearls!" Lobo said while admiring the shiny orange pearls he now possessed.

The Playboy sighed, his face red with a little anger.

"Get out! Now! You passed the test, get out!" he yelled pointing to the front door.

"This place is lame anyways!" Lobo responded and marched out the door. "Come on dweebs, let's blow this joint!"

And not even waiting for the group, Lobo had already stormed out of the manor.

Wally was helping Dick up.

"You okay?" Wally asked worried.

Dick took a deep breath.

"Kind of still shaken up but I'll live through it."

"What did you see?"

Dick gave Wally a look.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ask…"

"No, it's alright. I just saw my parents again. They were happy; proud of me. So was he."

"Who?"

"Bruce," Dick explained as they made their way out the door.

"Come on, we must hurry!" J'onn said, trying to encourage the rest of the group to keep moving. Time had passed by roughly a few days since they entered Batman's heart. They only had about four days left.

"Why are you always in a hurry?" Dick asked suspiciously.

"We need to get going. We must go before Avarice decides to keep us here again."

Dick eyed the Martian suspiciously as he made his way toward the doors to catch up with Lobo.

"Hey Wally," Dick asked as they followed J'onn a good distance away.

"What?"

"Is it true that Wonder Woman's lasso makes anyone tell the truth?"

"Yea, why?"

"Nothing, just curious."

Dick and Wally were followed by Shayera and John who were comforting each other.

"What did you see?" she asked John.

John sighed, "Did I tell you about Sergeant Munston?"

"Didn't he die in your arms?' Shayera asked sympathetically. She had a feeling what John saw.

"I saw that I wasn't too late, that I saved him. He was the first person I loss to my mistakes. It has haunted me for twenty years."

Shayera pulled her arm tighter around John.

"What did you see?" John asked with concern.

Shayera sighed. Under the Black Mercy, she saw that she was accepted by society again. She was no longer an outcast. No longer did she feel outrage or anger. She was at ease.

"I saw that I had no reason to be angry anymore," Shayera explained cryptically.

John understood what she meant and didn't pry.

Superman was still in the manor; he wanted some time to reflect. Having Krypton taken away from him again still hurt him deep. Finally he noticed someone was standing in the corner not too far away from his spot. Someone that he just realized had been standing there silently the whole time.

Diana was staring at her hands, shaking slightly. A bomb could have gone off next to her and she wouldn't have noticed.

"Di, are you alright?" Superman asked. He knew what it was like to be pulled away from a Black Mercy.

Diana finally noticed him and looked up with a jolt.

"I'm fine Kal. Let's go."

Before Superman could ask what was wrong, she was already halfway toward the door. Deciding it would be better to give her a little space he kept his distance as he brought up the rear. But then he realized he was forgetting something.

"How do we get to the next realm?" Superman asked the Playboy who was still very angry at the moment.

"That is something you have to discover for yourself!" the Playboy spat, his face still red with anger.

Sighing Superman left the Manor. When the doors closed behind him, he found he and the group were once again in the never ending darkness. No doorway or entrance behind him anymore. Just utter blackness.

**What realm is next? What will the manifestation of that realm be? **


	23. Ugly Truths

**I noticed for some reason Ch. 20 had not received as many hits as the other chapters. Just bear in mind everyone I update rather quickly sometimes so make sure you look to see where you left off so you aren't accidently skipping a chapter or two.**

For a while the group just stood in the darkness. No one really wanted to move. Everyone except Lobo was a little shaken up what they saw in their own fantasies. Even J'onn, who was usually pushing the group to keep moving had decided to give them a moment of peace to reflect.

Lobo gave an exaggerated yawn, "So what? We're just gonna stand around like a bunch of daisies?"

John gave an angry look at the Czarnian.

"Some of us actually need some time to think! A lot of us were shaken up from that thing!"

"And if it wasn't for me, you guys would still be stuck there! And I got no thank you! 'Thanks Main Man for savin' our butts, again!' or 'Thanks Lobo for helping us out and not askin' anything in return!'"

Superman sighed.

"Lobo, thank you. You are right, we would have been lost without you," he said begrudgingly.

Lobo grinned.

"You all owe me big time!"

John rolled his eyes and sat back down holding Shayera in his arms.

"It's kind of funny isn't it," he replied stoically.

"What?" Shayera asked. What could be funny here?

"I came in here thinking Batman was a heartless jerk. Now I'm not so sure. Remember when the Bat showed us the nightmare he had of all of us getting hurt? I wasn't expecting that."

Shayera sighed, "Now do you realize why we should have made more of an effort to bring him back in? You all treated him like he didn't care. Couldn't you see he was hurting?"

"Shayera, he is not totally excused from this either. He made it hard for himself as well. Let's face it; he didn't make it difficult for any of us to hate him after the countermeasure incident."

"He likes to be hated. It makes it easy for him to push everyone away."

John shook his head.

"I don't know. I still feel like Bruce is at fault in a lot of ways because he kept his emotions bottled up. He was pretty much a stiff. Maybe if he even showed a little emotion things would have been different."

Shayera looked the other way.

"What?" John asked.

"You wouldn't understand. Batman was never emotionless. In fact most of the time he was always experiencing one emotion. That emotion drove him every day. The reason why he stayed cold was he tried to keep that emotion under control."

"What? Willpower?" John asked confused.

Shayera looked back into her husband's eyes.

"Something more unstable. Something that can destroy a man on the inside."

"What makes you think you know all this?"

"Because I have been living with it since I could remember," Shayera explained.

00000

Diana sat by herself. She was in no mood to talk. The fantasy she had disturbed her greatly.

What the hell was Bruce doing in that dream? She hated him. Why was he violating her life? Her and Tom's life?

Diana was holding the lasso in her hands.

She quickly wrapped it around her wrists.

She hated Bruce. Sure, she was saving him, but more out of respect and duty. She still hated him.

The lasso did not burn. So that was the truth. Good.

She then began to think about Tom again. Tom. She loved him. Always had and always will.

Once again the lasso did not burn. So nothing seemed to have change. The Black Mercy must have gotten it wrong. It had to be. Maybe it was Bruce's way of torturing her.

She didn't love Bruce. She didn't love-

"Ow!" Diana muttered. It had burned when she was thinking about how she didn't love Bruce.

No, this could not be. She was over him. They were just friends who fell apart. She never loved him-

The lasso burned again. Diana sealed her lips tight to avoid making a gasp of pain again.

Alright, maybe she was a little attracted to him when he was on the League. But he did hurt her when he betrayed them. The last fight they had after he resigned from the League ended their friendship. He broke her heart.

The lasso did not burn this time. Diana sighed with relief.

She may have loved him in the past, but she didn't love him anym-

Diana had to bite her lip again because the lasso burned at that remark. What was it doing? Why was it torturing her? She didn't love him anymore.

The lasso kept burning even more as Diana tried to think how she longer loved Bruce.

Finally she could not take it anymore and took the lasso off her wrists before it would make her think of thoughts she did not want to think.

She examined the lasso like it was a poisonous snake. It was defective. It had to be. It was messing with her mind. Probably being in Bruce's heart was making it work not right.

How could the lasso say she hated Bruce and love him at the same time? It had to be not working. You can't love and hate a person at the same time.

"Hey Diana," she heard someone whisper behind her.

Diana turned to find Dick kneeling down to talk to her.

"Can I borrow your lasso?"

"Why?"

"It's just an experiment. I won't break it, I promise."

Diana paused. She usually didn't like giving people her lasso, but she trusted Dick. Besides, it was causing her more trouble right now anyways.

"Sure. I think it's broken though. Something about this place doesn't make it work right."

Dick was not really paying attention to that remark as he took the lasso from his hands and was examining it.

"Perfect, thanks Di."

Before Diana could ask what he was doing with it he walked away.

She soon found Superman next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing Kal," she said trying to hint she didn't want to talk.

"I'm not buying it. Come on, you have been out of it since we have exited that realm."

"We all are a little shaken up after that. Having a Black Mercy taken off of you is not a pleasant experience."

"Yes but you seem out of it more than the others. What did you see?"

Dian gave superman an angry look.

"It is none of your business, Kal."

Before Superman could reply, they heard J'onn's voice.

"We need to get moving to the next realm. I don't know which one it is but we have four possibilities."

"What do you think it is?' Wally asked as he got to his feet.

J'onn shrugged. "We still have red, blue, indigo, and violet. Those are Rage, Hope, Compassion, and-"

"Hope?" John snorted. "The most cynical guy in the world has hope?"

Shayera elbowed him.

"Where's that fraggin' skull geek?" Lobo demanded looking around with his pistol.

J'onn shrugged.

"He's probably trying to enter other realms right now. That is why we must hurry…ARGH!" J'onn yelled as something gold was wrapped around him.

The group stared in shock to find the culprit was Dick who had wrapped Diana's lasso around the Martian.

"Why are you in such a hurry all the time?" Dick demanded angrily.

"Dick, stop it!" Superman asked and made his way to grab it from Dick. "J'onn has nothing to hide!"

"O yes he does! Why are you so eager to leave in a hurry?"

J'onn struggled. "Because if we don't Batman will die!"

Dick grinned. "Very clever J'onn but explain more. What do you mean by that?"

"What are you talking about Dick?" Superman asked angrily. "If we don't hurry Doctor Destiny could get the upper hand on us…"

"I have been suspicious of him ever since he came up with the idea of pulling the plug on Batman."

Dick then looked at J'onn.

"IS there another reason that Batman will die if we don't hurry besides Doctor Destiny killing him?"

J'onn tried to struggle but even his telepathic and phasing powers were no match for the lasso, finally after a thirty second attempt of keeping his mouth shut, the Martian spoke.

"I put Batman's life support machine to kill him within a week before we entered here as a failsafe in case we failed!" J'onn said quickly.

The air had evaporated at that moment. Superman's eyes widened in shock.

Diana was looking at him with disbelief. Her lasso definitely had to be broken now. It must be broken. J'onn wouldn't act behind their backs like that. He couldn't have.

Shayera was looking at him with confusion. She thought she knew him.

Wally looked like a kid who just realized their idol was not that great. His face was of disappointment.

Even Lobo and John seemed disgusted by J'onn's revelation.

Lobo muttered. "And you try to act like you're better than me."

But probably the most telling face of all was Dick. He had dropped the lassos at that revelation. His face had gone pale. He seemed to have frozen on the spot.

J'onn looked around in the group with a half pleading and a half pained look on his face.

"You need to understand, it was the only way. I knew within a week Doctor Destiny would consume Batman's heart if we failed. We needed a failsafe. One to guarantee he would be stopped. One that would guarantee he wouldn't terrorize the world-"

"So you gave up on him?" Shayera asked angrily. "And you were one of the few people who voted to keep him in after the Apocalypse of '09 you hypocrite!"

"J'onn, why?" Diana asked.

J'onn sighed. "I didn't want to do it, believe me. I just knew it was the only way to guarantee Doctor Destiny would be stopped…"

"How much time do we have left now?" Superman asked angrily.

J'onn sighed. "Four days…"

"What? It's only felt like half of one!" Wally complained.

"Time is in a flux on the dream plane. That is why some dreams that seem like days last only a few minutes or hours."

The group was looking each other alarmed. They had four Emblems to go and they were running out of time.

"You have to understand I did it for Batman. I agreed with his countermeasures despite the misuse of them. It is always good to have a failsafe. I would be disrespecting his wishes if we failed and he became the reason why Doctor Destiny became stronger and more powerful…"

"Don't you dare try to act like you know him!" Dick cried angrily and with a sudden speed, he had tackled J'onn to the ground.

The other six just stood by in horror as they saw Dick began to pummel the Martian mercilessly.

"Dick, stop!" J'onn begged, but Dick didn't. He was unloading a flurry of punches, his eyes screaming pure hatred.

Btu J'onn didn't fight back. He was verbally protesting and yelling in pain, but the Martian still refused to hit Dick back. It almost looked like the Martian wanted Dick to beat him. Like he felt he deserved Dick's beating.

But Dick did not notice. He was angry at the Martian for going against everyone's wishes and putting Batman's life on the clock.

"What gave you the right?" he cried angry as he continued to beat the Martian to death.

Finally Superman and Wally seemed to have come to their senses and made their way to separate them.

It took Wally's speed to grab a hold of Dick's rapidly moving fists and Superman's strength to pull him back. Dick fought and tried to resist but he was no match to break the hold of two metas.

J'onn meanwhile got up. Even though J'onn was a shapeshifter, they could tell he received a good beating. He was wincing all over.

He didn't even look at the rest of the group but just bowed his head in shame.

Finally John noticed something.

"Do you guys feel the ground is shaking?"

The group realized what John said was true. The ground was shaking violently.

"What's goin' on?" Lobo demanded angrily waiting to shoot something.

"I think we just summoned the Realm of Rage," J'onn explained as he got to his feet.

Not too far away something violently erupted from the ground. It was a giant wall, but it was red. It looked like it was made of bricks. The wall seemed to stretch a good distance before curving the other way. It was an enclosure.

There was a gap in the wall, but it was quickly covered by an iron gate. The iron gate, like the wall, glowed red. They could barely make out the sign on the wall that read:

**Gotham Cemetery**

The group paused. Something about this realm entrance disturbed them greatly. It offered a sense of foreboding.

"I guess we should get going then?" Wally asked nervously and walked to the gate. It swung violently open, taking him by surprise.

The group looked at each other. They could not afford delay anymore.

Superman walked up to Wally and together they entered. Lobo and Diana came following the two. Diana was putting the lasso back on her hip as she moved. She was treating it like a dangerous weapon though. John and Shayera, who were still holding each other tightly, brought up the rear, leaving Dick and J'onn outside the walls.

J'onn knew he was no longer welcome in the group. None of them could even bear the sight of him anymore. They thought they knew him.

Dick looked threateningly at the Martian. The sight of the new realm seemed to have calmed Dick's anger, but he was still giving J'onn a murderous look.

"We still need you to get us out," he said with full venom before he turned away in disgust and entered the gate.

J'onn sighed and entered the realm, keeping a good distance behind the group. The gate swung behind him with a clank.

00000

Doctor Destiny watched from afar. He was a little disappointed that Nightwing did not kill the Martian. Oh well, there would be plenty of time for that.

He was half-tempted to try to see if the gate would open for him but he knew it was hopeless. No matter, he was making progress though. He would let the League have fun one more time in that realm before he would strike.

He would attack and take the four Emblems from them and get the rest himself. It would be only a matter of time.

00000

They were in a graveyard. The Gotham graveyard. Except instead of the grass being green it was blood red. The trees in the cemetery looked dead. But what stood out the most were the tombstones and head stones that looked distorted. This was a warped view of Gotham Cemetery. A view that made it look angry.

No one dared to move until finally Superman started walking.

"Where are you going?" Wally asked.

"I think it's obvious isn't it? We need to go to his parents' graves."

"I know where it is," Dick remarked and stepped out front.

J'onn stayed in the back. He was going to keep his distance and stay quiet for a while. Maybe over time the group would forgive him. Probably not, but it was no good if he was distracting them from their mission.

Wordlessly the group made their way up the cemetery. After what seemed like years, they finally found one big headstone. It had the name Wayne in big letters on top.

The group paused. Even though this was just a projection of the cemetery, it still felt like hallowed ground. It was holy ground. Something they needed to show respect to.

Shayera's eyes caught a smaller tombstone next to the Wayne monument.

The smaller tombstone read

**ALFRED PENNYWORTH**

**LOVING FATHER AND FRIEND**

Shayera felt guilt. She had only met Alfred once, but he offered such great advice to her. He seemed to be the only one who understood her when the other founders were deciding her fate. When did he die?

As if sensing what she was looking at, Dick spoke.

"Alfred died about a year and half ago. Caught pneumonia."

Superman felt guilt. The last time he saw Alfred was so long ago.

All of the League members, except Lobo who had no idea who Alfred was, felt a little sick. None of them were aware that Alfred had died. They understood he was probably the only family Bruce had left.

Something else caught Wally's eye. To the right behind the Wayne monument was a smaller headstone. It was flat on the ground. It appeared to be glowing red. Brighter than the other headstones.

Curiosity got the better of Wally and he slowly crept up to the flat grave marker.

"Hey guys," Wally called. "Check this out. It's got a funny name on it. Bumant? Beamint?"

"Beaumont," a deep hissing voice replied. The group turned around with alarm. Standing behind them was a tall shadowy figure, not much different than the Bat.

Except this figure was different. It was more gray than Black and was hooded. Grey smoke covered a lot of it, making it difficult to see it clearly.

Its right hand had something shiny and steel looking. It looked like a scythe. Its face was covered in an iron looking skull mask.

The image gave off an appearance of death. But perhaps what was most alarming were the eyes. They were white and blank, not that different than Batman's. Except these eyes somehow showed off cold fury. Whoever this thing was, it seemed to be nothing but pure anger and hate.

"Who are you?" Superman asked, getting ready to have to fly if necessarily at it.

"I am the manifestation of Bruce's Rage. That is all what he sees me now. A lost soul consumed by her anger and vengeance."

"Her?" Diana asked confused. She could have sworn it was a man.

The figure with its other hand reached up and pulled the hood down and took off its mask.

They saw the face of a beautiful woman with red hair and blue eyes. Except her eyes showed much fury and anger. They could tell she was a woman in pain. A woman who had destroyed herself on the inside.

"You can call me Andrea," the woman said.

**What will they see in this realm? Who will be tested? **


	24. Rage

**I spent a lot of time writing this chapter not only because it is one of my favorite chapters to write, but I really feel like this is one of the most important parts to my story because it really shows who Batman is. At his most vulnerable and beneath his stone cold exterior, he is a really angry guy, in pain over the losses in his life. Warning, definite spoilers from Return of the Joker. This is also a long chapter.**

"Who are you?" Superman asked suspiciously. Something about this woman reminded him of Lois a little. They had similar voices.

Dick however was looking at her curiously. "I'm pretty sure I never heard of Bruce mention an Andrea."

Andrea sighed.

"Please bear in mind that I'm not actually the Andrea Beaumont that Bruce knew. I'm just the embodiment of Bruce's rage. Since he sees Andrea as nothing more than a soul consumed by anger, I take this form. However, to avoid confusion I will refer to myself as her."

"How does Andr-er you know Bruce?" Shayera asked. Something about this woman seemed to stand out to her. Like she was part of a large amount of buried secrets.

"I was his first love, before he became Batman," Andrea explained coldly.

Diana ignored how her heart slowed down for a second. Dick was looking at her. Not even Alfred mentioned this, but then again, Alfred kept a lot of secrets as well.

"What happened?" Wally asked. He was having a hard time grasping Bruce having a love life before becoming Batman.

"That is another story. A few years later our paths crossed a second time. Not only did I break his heart again, but I failed him. When he saw how I was willing to cross the line in pursuit of vengeance, he was disgusted with me. Horrified. He has always feared that he would become like me. I'm pretty much dead to him now. Nothing more than a symbol of Rage."

Diana was listening to the woman talk. Her story sounded sad. She could not help but feel sympathy.

"To Bruce, this is what would happen if he let his Rage fully take over. A cursed life of endless unsatisfied rage, doom to walk this earth alone," the woman said calmly.

"Hate to break it to ya babe, but you don't look that angry!" Lobo taunted.

Andrea's fierce blue eyes stared at the Czarnian so cold, Lobo even stuttered for a second.

"You don't know what Rage is. It is anger, it is hatred, and it is vengeance. And it's at its worse, when it is kept cool. When it is finally let out, it is powerful, almost unstoppable. You all think Batman was this cold heartless bastard? You are all wrong. He was angry, always angry."

"I have that a hard time to believe that," John responded.

Andrea gave a venomous smile.

"You never saw Batman angry did you?"

And before they could say anything, Andrea put her mask and hood back on.

"Come," Andrea said in her now distorted voice. "I will show you the times Batman has lost control.

Andrea turned around and began to glide eerily down the hill. The group reluctantly followed. Dick however lagged behind.

"What are you doing Dick?" Wally asked unsure.

"Got to check something," Dick said. "I'll be there in a second."

Wally wanted to respond but gave up and followed the group. That left Dick alone except there was another person not too far away from him.

Dick stared angrily at the Martian.

"You should get going J'onn. Wouldn't want you to miss watching Batman getting angry. Maybe it will make you feel better about killing him," Dick threatened venomously.

J'onn sighed and turned around, leaving Dick alone.

Dick headed up the hill further. Barbara had asked him to come to her father's funeral the other week but he chickened out. However she did tell him where her father was going to be buried. He wasn't sure if Bruce knew the location but if Bruce did, maybe it would be projected in this realm. The realm was after all modeled after Gotham Cemetery.

Dick headed to where he believed it was and as luck would have it, it was there. Bless Bruce and his memory. Dick walked up to the headstone.

"Hey comish," he said to the projection of Gordon's grave. "Sorry I didn't come pay my respects earlier."

Like the other headstones, Gordon's gravestone shined blood red.

"Look I know this isn't real, but I figure I might not make it out of here alive and this is the next best thing," Dick sighed. Why did he feel nervous talking to nothing?

Taking a deep breath, he began again.

"I just want to let you know, I respected you. You were a good man, a good cop, and a good father. Barbara misses you, but she'll make you proud, I know it."

Dick shook his head. There was no other way to say it.

"I just want to thank you for being the only one who stuck by Bruce, other than Alfred. I should have, but I was too stubborn. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you were still there for him until you died while the rest of us, including me, had abandoned him."

The projection of the grave remained still.

"Well I gotta go. Good-bye Gordon," Dick said before hurrying off awkwardly. He felt he could have said it better, but it would have to do for now. He had to focus on saving Bruce.

000000

Dick caught up to the group just as they were approaching outside mausoleum.

"Where were you?" Superman asked with concern.

"Just paying some respects to an old friend," Dick explained.

"Now that I have you all here, we can begin," Andrea said hoarsely through her mask. Her white eyes glowing.

"I know you already saw the nightmares and the memories of his parents. Well something happened to Bruce that night when that happened that the Realm of Fear didn't show you. Bruce did not only receive an empty feeling of loss, a sense of isolation, and a sense of fear. He developed a strong sense anger as well after that night; outrage at the cruel world that took what he loved most away from him. Bruce has been feeling that outrage and anger ever since. It has been what has saved him so many times! What kept him driving!"

"What happened to his indomitable Willpower?" John asked. He believed one did not to lose control of their emotions to fight.

Andrea stared at him coldly.

"Willpower is good. It is what keeps him going. But it is Rage that keeps him fighting. You all think Bruce fights out of pure stubbornness? That is part of it. But when even Willpower is not enough to keep him going, he taps into that unbridled Rage he has felt since a child."

The mausoleum wall behind her all of sudden lit up. A projection was being shown on it.

"Let me show you a recent one."

The memory played out on the wall. The League and Dick recognized instantly what it was. It was Batman's last fight, before he ended up where he was right now. None of them exactly knew the full details of the fight except from snippets on the news. They were now getting a front row seat.

They watched as Batman slowly struggled to defeat his enemies one by one. They saw him throw Croc out of the barricade. Next they saw Batman dodge a charging Kaliback and Metallo just in time for them to run into each other.

Superman and Diana exchanged quiet looks. This was what they saw on the news.

Lobo was laughing the whole time with glee, much to the consternation of the others. The Czarnian loved violence.

The group saw Batman knock Deadshot off the beam.

"That's gotta hurt!" Lobo remarked.

Shayera was clutching her mace. Stay calm. It would do no good if she let her anger consume her. Especially in the Realm of Rage.

J'onn decided to finally speak, causing a lot of League members to jump. They had been ignoring and shunning him for so long, they forgot he was there.

"I'm not seeing much rage here," J'onn pointed out.

Andrea just stood menacingly.

"Wait for it."

The group then saw what happened next. It horrified them.

It was like it was happening in slow motion. Batman paused when he heard a noise. Slowly he looked out the window and they saw that two of the hostages had been pushed off the building, lying on the ground bloodied, and dead.

"No," they heard Batman whisper in pain. They could see he was scared. It was not Batman they usually saw, but the little boy that lost his parents years ago. Batman looked like he could barely stand. He was on the verge of tears.

The sound of a gunshot brought Batman back to life and what they saw next alarmed Dick.

Batman's face transitioned from pain to fury. The eyes on his cowl were dangerous slits, his fists clenched in rage, his body shaking violently. With sudden new energy, he sprinted up the stairs.

"That is what I mean that anger fuels him," Andrea explained.

The group watched as Batman broke the gun man's arm and saved the two children hostages. A lot of them were nervous. Even though the League and Dick knew Batman didn't kill anyone in the fight, watching this made them unsure.

Before they could see what Batman was going to do next, Bane had reappeared and began to pummel Batman mercilessly.

Batman was now lying on the ground, barely having the energy to stay awake. They could tell his Willpower was failing against his injuries.

"You've lost Batman! You're a failure!" they heard Bane taunt as he stomped toward the broken Batman. "The first thing I am going to do after I throw you off the roof, is make sure those children don't make it out of here alive, so I can remind everyone how much you've failed today!"

Batman's eyes were showing something they rarely saw. Pure hatred. Batman looked like he was about to kill. With sudden speed Batman began to punch bane back even though one arm was apparently broken. Bane was taken aback by the sudden life Batman showed and had tumbled down the stairs, with Batman pouncing on him like a rabid animal.

The League was stunned. They never saw Batman lose control like that in the fight. He was always about keeping emotions in check.

Wally was reminding himself to never piss off Batman when he was in a fight.

The group, except Lobo who was enjoying the spectacle, watched in shock as Batman began to pound Bane, who was now weakened without his venom, with a rock. Bane was crying for mercy but it did not reach Batman's ears. He was too consumed with rage and vengeance.

The memory stopped, showing them the dull wall of the mausoleum. No one dared to speak. They were all disturbed by what they saw. Batman may have had his faults but to see him so unhinged made them worry.

"Don't worry, he came to his senses and stopped. Bane lived."

That seemed to bring the League back to reality. They had forgotten they had interrogated him after the incident.

"Although, in my opinion, Batman should have killed him. That monster will try to kill Batman again or worse, more people."

Dick was feeling angry. Even though he was in Batman's own heart he refused to believe what Andrea was saying.

John was unsure. A part of him always felt Batman was unhinged, especially after the mysterious incident that led him to dismantle the Batclan. From the looks of things, he was right. This was one of the few times John didn't take pleasure that he was right though.

Superman and Diana were beside themselves. That memory seemed to justify their reasons for why they wanted batman out of the League. He acted like a loose cannon as John would say. Except they were not so sure what they would have done in batman's situation. In fact, as much as disgusted both of them, a small part of them enjoyed Batman pummel Bane to death. A small part of them were like Lobo, egging Batman on.

As if sensing their thoughts, Andrea spoke.

"There have been other times Batman has been angry, but not at villains…" she mysteriously spoke.

Another memory began to play on the wall of the mausoleum. This one was different. It took place on the Watchtower. The founders immediately recognized the memory. It was the meeting after the Apocalypse of '09.

The founders saw themselves all at the table glaring at Batman whose face remained cold with arrogance and defiance. He was really trying hard to show no emotion.

"Batman," Superman saw himself speak. His tone was serious but his eyes showed betrayal. "We will allow you try to explain yourself before-"

"I don't own any of you an explanation," Batman replied coldly. Diana looked like she was going to tear the table at that remark.

"What makes you think you have the right to judge us?" she asked angrily.

John wasn't even looking at Batman.

"We are wasting time. I say we put it to a vote. We aren't going to get an apology from him."

The group saw that Batman was a little taken aback by that disrespect but pretty quick he regained his composure.

"Batman does have a point!" J'onn interrupted. "It is good to have some counter measures against us. Remember when we were possessed by the snake spirit…"

"But he could have told us!" Superman shot back. By now it was apparent they weren't even going to allow Batman take part in the conversation. At the time, all six of the founders were distracted by each other they weren't really picking up on Batman's emotions.

Batman face may have been stone cold but they could see it in his posture. He was generally hurt. He acted like he was the one who was being betrayed at the moment.

Wally in the flashback was torn like a kid watching the parents fight.

Shayera meanwhile had her head bowed down in the flashback. She had already abstained herself from the meeting so she was not offering any input. But the group could tell she was itching to say something.

Finally it seemed Batman couldn't take it anymore and just stood up angrily.

"I don't need to waste my time while you decide my fate! I don't belong with you! You are no better than the Justice Lords! Acting like gods with your powers!"

That remark stung. John was pissed. Diana was about to fly over but was stopped by J'onn. Superman looked like he just got slammed by a brick full of kryptonite.

With a look of hatred, Batman turned around and stormed out of the room.

The group watched as Batman angrily stormed to the javelin bay ignoring the dirty looks many of the other leaguers were given him.

Diana and Superman knew that wasn't the end of the memory.

Batman was about to get into a javelin when someone called his name.

"Bruce!" shouted an angry voice.

Batman turned around to find himself face to face with an angry Wonder Woman followed by Superman.

"How could you Bruce?" Superman pleaded. Begging for an answer.

"Don't try to make a half-hearted effort to reach out to me Superman if it makes you sleep better. "

"What happened to you Bruce? You are not the same man anymore. You haven't been the same for a year. What happened?" Diana asked. She was still angry but she had managed to calm herself down for the moment.

"That is none of your business…"

"Bruce," Superman interrupted. "You could have reached out to us! Whatever happened to you we could've helped. You don't have to shut yourself off from us…"

"Says the people who were about to vote me out!" Batman replied back with venom.

That caused Superman to cease his plea.

"Look at you! Hypocrites! Act like you care about me and yet you can't stand to work with me! Don't try to patronize me to make yourselves feel better…"

"We came not as colleagues but as friends!" Diana shouted back angrily. "Believe it or not we still care about you! What happened? What made you change?"

"I haven't changed. My methods have always been the same. Accept that or not I don't care. We have reached the parting of the ways. Leave me and Gotham alone and you can be free to do whatever you want!"

"You aren't in a position to make demands!" Diana shouted as her temper started resurfacing. Superman placed a steady grip on her arm to hold her back. She didn't seem to notice.

"This is exactly what I was talking about," Batman retorted. "Some warrior of peace. You are about to tear off my head! Surely you see this?"

Diana was hurt by that remark and tried to lunge at him but Superman's hold was too strong. Instead she resorted to words again.

"You may think this makes you better than us Bruce! But who is keeping watch on you? One day you will wake up and finally realize how you made yourself a lonely brooding basturd begging to die!

"Diana!" Superman called.

"You will one day regret everything you did until you die alone!" she continued.

That seemed to have stung. Batman looked like he was about to lose his balance. That threat had cut deeper than Diana expected. But Batman's reaction was so small, that at the time of the memory, Superman and Wonder Woman didn't notice. Seeing it from a detached expression though, they saw everything.

Batman had buckled under that threat. But pretty soon, he was showing pure anger. Raw fury.

"Stay out of my city," he threatened evilly and made his way to the javelin, without saying a word. That was the last time Diana and Superman had heard him speak.

Shayera now understood what Andrea said that anger was the fuel Batman needed. Diana's remark was a heavy blow. She could tell by that brief moment were he let his guard down, he had lost his will. If it wasn't for his anger, he probably wouldn't have been able to make it to the javelin.

John was shaking his head. Why did Bruce have to make everything so hard? As much as he was pissed at Batman for being a jerk, John could not help but feel pity for the man.

Diana and Superman had their heads bowed in shame. They were both so angry at the time they didn't realize how much Batman was hurting. Their anger at him was only making it worse.

Superman felt like he should have tried harder. Maybe tried talking to Batman when everything had cooled down.

Diana was beside herself. She never intended her insult at Bruce to sting that deep. Now seeing it from a new perspective, she did not like what she saw.

The memory was not done. It cut to Batman landing the javelin in the Batcave. He exited out of it quickly. Taking off his cowl, he threw it on the floor.

"Master Bruce?" a voice was heard far off.

"Not now Alfred!" Bruce shouted angrily.

"What happened?" Alfred said appearing into the light. "Did you try explaining why you had them?"

"It felt on deaf ears Alfred. In their arrogance they seem to have forgotten about CADMUS. CADMUS had every right to be scared at them…"

"Are you sure that maybe they weren't as receptive because of you?"

Bruce turned and glared at Alfred.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Alfred seemed unfazed. Instead he was looking at Bruce with much disapproval.

"Master Bruce! I have stood by and watch you push people in your life away all the time! I am not going to stand by and…"

"It's too late Alfred! They made their choices and I made mine. The Justice League and I are no more!"

And before his butler could respond, Bruce stormed off to another part of the Batcave, ending the memory.

The Justice League founders were beside themselves. If they went to this realm first, they probably would have been angry to see this memory. However after the Realm of Fear had showed them Batman's nightmares they weren't so sure. The Bat had shown that Batman did care about them. One of his greatest fears was them getting hurt. Now they partly understood why Batman seemed to act betrayed when they talked about voting him out.

They saw him as unhinged. None of them saw that he was hurting. The pain in him was visible. His rage was burning not out of betrayal. He really felt hurt by how they did not seem to show any willingness to listen to him.

J'onn knew what it was like to be Bruce now even more. To feel the wrath of your friends for making an unpopular but necessary call.

Andrea spoke.

"I know you went to the Realm of Fear earlier. Do you think if you actually let your feelings not get the best of you at the moment that some of you would have realized Batman was sorry that you all got hurt? Did any of you consider he was angry because none of you could see his pain?"

"He didn't make it any easier!" John shouted.

"But you weren't that receptive as well. Well, now you see. Batman was angry at all of you not out of arrogance but out of betrayal just as you were with him. The feeling of betrayal can invoke the deepest feelings of rage towards those we care about," Andrea explained.

No on responded to that. Lobo did mutter that he was kicked out of the Justice League too and got over it, but no one was paying attention.

Andrea spoke again.

"There is still one memory to show all of you. The moment when Batman let his anger take control…"

Another memory was projected. Batman was pacing in the cave panicking while calling Alfred. He was asking for Tim. Dick had a feeling this would try to appear again. He didn't want to see it in the Realm of Fear and he still didn't want anyone to see it. Even though Dick was mad that Bruce disbanded the Batclan after this incident, he understood this was a private issue.

"Please, do not show it," Dick begged.

Andrea looked at him apathetically through her mask.

"You already stopped this once. They have to see it."

"What is it Dick?" Wally asked.

Dick sighed defeated.

"This is the reason why the Batclan was dismantled," Dick cryptically explained.

The group looked at Dick with interest. Finally they would find out why Batman seemed to have lost it in his last year of the Justice League.

The memory continued to show Batman pacing badly.

"I'm going out!" he finally spoke.

"Bruce!" Barbara said who was out of her bat costume. "The sun's out, you can't!"

"He could be dying right now!"

"Bruce!" Barbara shouted and stood in his way. "Please. I will try to see if I can pick up on anything from my dad's office. We will find him!"

Batman glared and then took off his cowl.

"What are you doing?"

"Batman can't be patrolling Gotham in broad daylight, but Bruce Wayne can!"

"But-"

But before Barbara could react Bruce rushed passed her.

Dick remembered Barbara had called him that day. She was worried, not just about Tim but Bruce. Dick wanted to go over and help as well, but Barbara convinced him to stay in Bludhaven. There was a chance Tim might not have been in Gotham at the time.

The memory transitioned to Batman holding a thug by the throat.

"Talk to me!" he threatened. The Justice League caught on the subtle hints. Usually when Batman intimidated people during an interrogation, his voice was calm. At the moment he seemed to not care. He sounded like a desperate man. A dangerous, desperate man.

"I-I d-don't know. I'm-m sorry, I don't-"

But Batman was not in the mood for apologies. With sudden force he threw the man against a window, sending him flying to the streets. Batman's hands were still clenched in rage, his breathing irregular.

The memory stopped.

"For three weeks, Batman searched frantically for Robin," Andrea explained. "Every night his behavior was like what you just saw, blind anger. But none of it matched to the level you are about to see."

And with that, the memory continued to be played.

It was raining as Batman and Batgirl were approaching something on a roof. It was a purple box.

Batman suddenly stopped Batgirl with a cautious hand.

He suddenly threw a battarang at the box.

Immediately the lid opened to reveal a crude jack in the box, wrapped in some strange cloth. Before they could examine it, the face popped off to reveal a bomb.

Batman grabbed Batgirl and immediately grappled to another roof to get away as the bomb exploded, releasing much confetti.

Batman and Batgirl descended the roof. Batman cautiously went up to the mysterious cloth that was wrapped around the Jack in the Box before it had exploded.

It was a straight jacket.

"Arkham," Batman whispered angrily. He then immediately turned around and pushed a button on his belt.

"Wait Batman!" Batgirl called. "You don't even know if the Joker has him…"

"He does," Batman responded through clench teeth. "He wanted us to see it. I know it."

"But you know it's a trap! He's just using it to get to you!"

Batman ignored her and jumped off the roof as the Batmobile pulled up. Batman quickly jumped in.

Batgirl followed him, with a little uncertainty.

The group watched in silence as they saw Batman sped the Batmobile like a madman to the outskirts of Gotham, not hesitating or bothering to hit the brakes at all.

Finally the Batmobile had reached its intended destination.

But Batman wasn't slowing down; instead he accelerated the Batmobile, knocking over the gate of the abandoned Arkham Asylum.

"Batman!" Barbara cried looking over her shoulder as the Batmobile pulled up to the partially demolished asylum. "They will hear us!"

"Good," Batman remarked as he got out of the vehicle and kicked open the iron door as lightning struck not too far away.

Batman and Batgirl walked along the abandoned asylum. There was a faint sound of a female voice signing a nursery rhyme that echoing in the ruins. But Batman and Batgirl did not pause to listen to it; they just kept heading toward the source of the voice.

Wally could feel his hairs sticking up on his back. This was looking like a horror movie.

Finally Batman stopped. He gave Batgirl a look she immediately understood. Batgirl went a different route as Batman continued toward the source of the creepy voice. Batman kicked open a door violently to find Harley Quinn and the Joker waiting for him.

The group proceeded to watch as the Joker and Harley Quinn taunted the Dark Knight. They could tell Bruce was agitated and on the verge of losing his cool, which was something they almost never saw him do. They watched as he was easily subdued by Harley's weapon. In his anger he had let his guard down.

Superman knew it was coming. Something they shouldn't watch, but his curiosity got the better of him and he continued to watch the awful memory.

The memory played as the Joker pulled back the curtain to reveal his surprise.

Diana gasped in horror. The Joker had done something to Tim. Tim was no longer the nice boy wonder but a miniature version of the demented clown. Not only did his costume match but his skin was bleached and his face was in a permanent grin. But the eyes struck out the most. They were dead inside. Tim had lost his mind. If that wasn't terrifying enough, the look of shock on Batman's face was.

It was the look of failure. Batman had failed. But quickly that was supplanted by furious rage. On his own pure strength, Batman broke his bonds and tossed a battarang violently at the Joker. The Joker ducked and just laughed before fleeing, Batman hot in pursuit, almost blindly chasing his enemy.

Shayera didn't know if she should watch anymore. She knew what it was like to keep pent up rage like that. If that got released, she knew it would be difficult to stop. She didn't want to see if the rumors that Batman killed the Joker were true.

"_What's the matter Batman? No witty comeback? No threat? Then I'll provide the narration,"_ the group heard the Joker say on a loudspeaker as Batman frantically looked around for the clown in a theater.

Batman stopped moving when a light turned on. The Joker had turned on the movie. Batman watched the film. It began with a card titled "Our Memories".

Dick turned away. He didn't want to see Tim get tortured like this.

"_I'll begin on how I peeled back the layers of the boys mind…"_ the Joker's voice narrated.

Diana was disgusted what she saw. The Joker had documented how he had tortured Robin to insanity and was showing it to Batman. She subconsciously grabbed Superman's hand. They were both tensing up at the graphic picture before them. There was nothing more horrid or disgusted than someone who tortured children.

John was grinding his teeth. He had fought plenty of monsters before, but this was the worst.

Dick looked up. As much as he didn't want to see the Joker's video he needed to see Batman. He needed to see how Batman reacted. Maybe it would explain everything.

But the most striking sight at that memory was not Tim's documented torture, but Batman's reaction to it. His mouth had hung agape in horror. He seemed to have been frozen in fear. Sapped of all his willpower. The Joker had won. The Joker had hurt him in the right spot.

But the Joker was not done taunting yet.

"…_and the dear lad began to share such secrets with me. Secrets that are mine alone to know…Bruce,"_ the Joker revealed dramatically.

What happened next surprised the group. Batman did not show surprise that the Joker knew his identity now. Instead his facial expression had shifted from fear into something else. A facial expression they saw earlier when Batman fought Bane.

It was the face of murder.

Batman's lips were stiff, his eyes narrowing slowly and dangerously. His posture stiffening up like a statue. The Joker did not seem to notice.

"_It's true Batsy! I know everything! And kind of like the kid who peeks at his Christmas presents, I must admit, it's sadly anti-climatic. Behind all the battarangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit crying for mommy and daddy!"_ the Joker gloated. Batman's slits were barely visible, a sign of his rising rage. His posture was even shaking a little. The cold fury was about to be released.

"_It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic,"_ the Joker said, revealing himself to be on the upper level of the theater where the film projector was. _"Oh what the heck, all laugh anyway."_

The Joker then gave a high pitch laugh, but before he could finish it, he was met with sudden force. Batman had reached the Joker with such blinding rage and speed, the sadistic clown was caught off guard.

The Joker scrambled to get to his feet, trying to crawl away from the raw fury of Batman. His eyes showing a little fear the first time.

Batman however was too quick and picked the Joker up by the collar. The Joker managed to regain his composure and placed another taunting grin on his face which had blood dripping down on one side.

"If you don't like the movie, I've got slides," he cruelly joked.

Batman responded by throwing the Joker off down to the next level violently. The Joker grunted in pain as he fell down onto a stack of boxes. Tim was standing by not too far away watching the spectacle. His eyes blank with insanity. A manic grin identical to the Joker's.

The Joker began to get up grinning at the sight but was met by a powerful grip around his throat.

"I'll break you in two!" Batman threatened, his baritone voice resembling nothing more than a growl as he violently slammed the Joker against a wall, still clutching his throat.

The Joker, despite being in the clutches of a tight grip, managed to let a laugh out.

"Oh Batman, if you had the guts for that kind of fun, you would have done it years ago. I on the other hand…"

And before Batman could react, the Joker produced a knife, slashed Batman's chest before violently jamming it into the Dark Knight's thigh. Batman howled in pain and fell to the ground, being buried by the boxes around him.

The Joker took advantage of Batman's fall and quickly went up to the dazed Batman.

"You've lost Batman; Robin is mine," he whispered slowly to his foe. "The last sound you'll hear will be our laughter."

The Joker then tossed a gun to Tim while picking up the barely conscious Dark Knight.

"Hera no," Diana whispered, her eyes streaming with tears. Bruce didn't deserve this to happen. Neither did Tim or Barbara. Why were the fates cruel to this man?

The group watched as Tim laughed and shake while carrying the gun, ready to shoot his former mentor.

"Tim," Batman pleaded.

Dick wanted to puke at this moment. What the Joker had done was beyond redemption. It also pained him greatly that he had to see a man he respected growing up having to beg like that. To plead like a desperate man with nothing left.

However it seemed Batman's plea had worked. Tim's insane laughter had changed. It sounded more pained, like he was crying at the same time. A moment of clarity was showing in his eyes.

Tim continued to shake violently as he held the weapon between his half laughter and crying. He fired the weapon.

The dart did not hit Batman though. It instead hit the clown, sending him flying back. Tim in his last act of sanity, had killed the Joker.

The Joker gasped and choked on his own blood and noticed the dart in his heart.

"That's…not funny," he weakly remarked, his eyes showing terror of his impending death. "That's…not…"

The Joker gave a death rattle and collapsed face forward. At the sight Tim started to laugh again. Batman only stood by in horror as Tim continued his insane laughter. Batgirl reappeared and immediately walked up to Tim.

Tim's laughter began to change to crying again. Pretty soon tears were streaming down his maligned face and he collapsed onto his knees.

Batgirl immediately went up to Tim and began to comfort and try to calm him down. Batman meanwhile had slowly gotten up, casting a shadow over his broken sidekick.

Shayera was mortified. If someone had done something like that to Rex, she probably would have killed them. No questions asked.

John felt helpless. He could have done something. If he was there maybe he could have helped.

Dick felt guilt. He understood why Batman didn't want anyone to work in Gotham with him anymore. Who could blame after what happened? Batman's enemy targeted those who worked with him to hurt him. Batman didn't want to put anyone at risk.

Dick really wished Batman was awake now so he could tell him how wrong he was to hate Batman like that. Batman was trying to protect him.

Lobo just kept his usual angry face. Underneath it though he was terrified. What the hell was wrong with these people? He loved violence, but this was beyond violence. This was pure evil. Messing up a kid like that, he would have fragged that clown to hell if it were up to him.

J'onn had remained expressionless the whole time. He expected something like this. He had a feeling something like this had happened to Batman. He felt Batman's guilt. He knew what it was like to feel that guilt. The burden.

But the memory was not done yet. It had flashed forward. Tim was gone now. Batman was still in the ruins of Arkham while Batgirl was on the phone with someone.

"Thanks dad," she said. She took off her cowl to look at Batman. "Dad's going to come here in an hour to try to help find Harley's body. He's already done everything he needed to do to keep this quiet. Tim is safe for now."

Batman ignored her remark, he was staring at the deceased body of his twisted foe.

"Look, I had to tell him everything. About us. It was the only way to cooperate. I know you don't like people talking about our secret identities but we needed his help," Barbara explained, hoping to get a reaction out of Batman.

Batman remained cold as ice though. It was like he was in another room.

"And Alfred called as well. Leslie has Tim in the hospital right now. He's going to get the treatment he needs. He's going to get through this, _Bruce_," Barbara said, adding emphasis on the last part as she gently walked up and grabbed one of Batman's gloved hands, stained with blood.

Batman finally moved. Her touch seemed to have brought him some clarity. He immediately took his hand out of hers and bent over to pick up the Joker's body.

"What are you doing?" Batgirl asked.

"We need to bury the body," Batman explained coldly and walked away carrying the limp body like it was a rag doll, leaving Barbara behind.

Batman quickly found a chasm and descended it with great difficulty due to a limp from the wound on his leg from the Joker. Batman placed the body at the bottom. The Joker still grinning even in death.

Batman's face became stiff again at the sight of the post mortem grin. His lips quivering slightly. Even in death the Joker was mocking him.

From the chasm, Batman picked up an old rusted piece of iron from the building structure and began to violently beat the dead body. Batman was beating it mercilessly, determined to permanently get rid of the grin. With each blow he grunted angrily, continuing to rapidly beat the dead body to a pulp.

The group was getting an understanding what would have happened if the Joker had not managed to subdue Batman. Batman might have actually killed him. His eyes after all were still shouting murder.

Shayera understood where his anger was coming from now. Batman was angry at being robbed from doing justice on the clown. Batman wanted to kill the Joker himself.

"Bruce! That's enough!" Barbara shouted rushing down the chasm, trying to take the iron bar out of his hand. Batman ignored her and continued to beat the dead body.

"BRUCE!" she shouted and somehow had managed to knock the iron bar out of his hand. That seemed to knock Batman back to his senses.

He looked at his hands, they were shaking. He collapsed. He was horrified what he was doing. What he wanted to do. What he probably would have done if the Joker had not stabbed him.

"This is not your fault Bruce," Barbara said gently to try to calm him. But her words were not reaching Bruce.

"You don't know me," he whispered to her.

"Bruce…"

"I would have killed him. I was going to!" he shouted, his voice rising.

"You don't know that!" Barbara shouted back, trying to prevent Batman for giving himself an excuse to hate himself.

Batman got up quickly.

"You don't know me," he whispered.

And with that, the painful memory had stopped.

Diana and Superman were at lost. On one hand, the past memories they saw should have justified why they kicked Batman out. He was an angry man, living with a lot of rage. He could have snapped one day and killed someone. But on the other hand they could not help but feel sympathy.

They felt guilty. He was living with this pain all this time and they, his two best friends, treated him like a heartless basturd. How did they not know the pain he was feeling? The pent up rage was torturing his soul. How did they not see it?

Diana felt immense guilt. She couldn't hate him anymore. Not now. Not seeing how tragic this man's life had been. How he had experienced so much pain he didn't deserve.

For a while there was a cold silence. No one wanted to be the one to make the first sound. Finally Andrea spoke again. The group had forgotten she was there.

"Tim recovered about a year after this. He stayed with Bruce for a while before moving out because Bruce refused to allow him to be Robin again."

Wally sighed. Why were people always leaving Batman? Andrea was not done.

"Did it ever occur to you, one of the reasons why Batman keeps his emotions suppressed was because he was afraid something like this would happen? That his long buried rage would burst free and he would lose control? Batman was almost all Rage. Nothing but blind fury to motivate him in his war on crime…"

"Enough!" Dick shouted. He was sick and tired of seeing Batman's image tarnished like this. Even though it was making everyone more sympathetic to Batman, it was also making appear inhuman. Like a mindless monster.

Superman looked at Andrea.

"You showed us everything. Can we please do our test now?" He wanted to get the group out of here. This was worse than the Realm of Avarice.

Andrea sighed.

"Very well. This test will require you to try to stop Rage consuming you."

Diana for a second thought she was going to be chosen. J'onn had to talk to her once about her short temper. But she wasn't too confident in herself right now. She didn't think she had the fight in her. Those memories they saw seemed to have sapped the fire from her very soul.

But instead Andrea moved toward someone in the back by John Steward. She raised her scythe hand at Shayera.

"You will be tested Hawkgirl."

Shayera was stunned by that remark. Her husband was angry.

"I can't," Shayera stated shamefully. She was always angry. She would fail this test. She used her anger to fight. She couldn't keep it suppressed like the others.

"She won't," John demanded while stepping in front to protect her. "I'll do it…"

"You have already been tested John," the Martian commented.

"I don't need you to make the decisions in my life!" Shayera replied. Even though she didn't want to do the test, she didn't want her husband to go put his life at risk again. She could barely watch last time.

"I don't care, I will do another one!" John shouted.

Superman however had kept his cool.

"Shayera," he whispered softly. "You have been selected. Please, we need you."

Shayera paused. She didn't know what to do. Why was she chosen? She would be the worse person for the job. She had a better chance of breaking out of a Black Mercy on her own than trying to not let Rage consume her.

A comforting hand was placed on her other shoulder. Shayera turned to find Wally was there.

"For Bruce Shy," he whispered softly.

Shayera took a deep breath and looked down before looking back up.

"I'll do it," she half whispered. "What do I have to do?"

"You will be fighting Rage itself. Bear in mind the more anger you let out, the stronger it gets," Andrea warned cryptically, before turning around to lead Shayera to her impending doom.

**Who or what will Shayera face in her test? Will she live? **


	25. Personal Demons

Andrea led Shayera to the front of the mausoleum. Rapping gently on the door, it slid open.

"This is as far as I go," Andrea explained. "You will have to face this alone."

Shayera looked inside the mausoleum. It was too dark to see. Already her claustrophobia and fear of the dark were acting up again. She could feel her heartbeat picking up.

As if sensing her anxiety, Andrea spoke.

"Don't worry; it is actually a lot bigger when you descend the stairs. Plus it is illuminated pretty nicely."

That may have soothed Shayera's fears but she was still feeling anxiety. She felt a comforting hand grab hers. Shayera looked up to see her husband giving her a comforting look.

On impulse Shayera started to kiss him. She might never see him again, so she was going to give him one hell of a kiss.

"I love you," John whispered to her.

Shayera half smirked.

"I know," she responded. "That's why I love you too."

Diana watched the display of affection from afar. She was wondering to herself what she and Tom would have done. She still loved Tom, she knew it. Why was Bruce…?

No mustn't think about that right now. She needed to stay focus. Shayera may have been tested, but the League learned their lesson. One shouldn't let their guard down ever, especially in this place.

"I'll see you when you come out," John whispered.

Shayera smiled, trying to assure her husband she would make it out alive. She then went inside the mausoleum, the door shutting behind her.

Shayera's heart became stiff for a second when she was trapped inside the darkness of the mausoleum, but the darkness was only for a second.

Immediately read light came from afar, revealing to Shayera that she was on a stairway. She looked down. The stairway descended in a curved spiral so that Shayera could not see what the next level looked like. All she could tell was there was red light glowing at the bottom.

Taking a deep breath she descended the spiral staircase, eventually reaching the next level.

Andrea had spoken the truth. The lower level was very expansive. It was like an underground coliseum.

The red light was coming from torches that lit up the room.

At the other side of the room hung a mirror. Shayera was puzzled by that.

Shayera turned to her right. There was a statue next to her. It was a typical tombstone statue of an angel. Shayera didn't really pay attention to it. Her curiosity was drawn to the mirror.

She began to walk toward the mirror. She noticed there were six more statues, three on each side of the path, acting like stone guardians protecting her.

She was almost at the mirror when the closet statue to the mirror on her right side caught her attention. The statue was of a man with two big horns and a long cape. It was Batman.

Shayera examined the statue in shock. Why was Batman's statue here? And why did it look different?

His uniform seemed different than he wore but familiar. The horns were longer and the insignia was larger. It was then Shayera hit a realization, the statue was the Justice Lord Batman.

She turned around. The statue from across the Justice Lord Batman was the Justice Lord Superman. His face showing disdain like a tyrant looking on his oppressed people.

The middle statues were the Justice Lords of Diana and Wally. The last two along the path were her husband and J'onn's counterparts. So that angel statue she saw at the other end must have been her counterpart.

Shayera looked at the other end of the mausoleum where she saw the angel statue before expecting to now see the Justice Lord version of herself looking fiercely down. Except when she looked over there, the statue wasn't there this time. It was gone.

Shayera felt chills down her spine. Where did it go? It was right there. She didn't hear any movement.

Shayera took a deep breath.

Stay calm. She needed to stay calm. Andrea said she could not let anger consume her or she would fail the test. She was just being paranoid. She saw the statue somewhere else.

Shayera then finally looked at the mirror she was standing in front of her and what she saw made her jump in shock.

In the mirror was not her own reflection. It was the reflection of her Justice Lord counterpart. Her counterpart wore a Thangarian style military helmet complete with armor, not unlike what Shayera had worn during the Thangarian invasion.

Shayera was looking at what she swore she would never become again.

Her counterpart grinned in the mirror and the glass smashed. Shayera didn't have time to react. She received a full blow to the face from Lord Hawkgirl who had flown out of the mirror.

"You bitch!" Lord Hawkgirl yelled.

Shayera was dazed from that attack. She was feeling dizzy. However Lord Hawkgirl gave her no time to rest. Shayera was picked up by the throat.

"You betrayed Earth! And then Thangar! And for what? Nothing!" Lord Hawkgirl yelled and threw Shayera across the tomb. Shayera hit the wall with a thud.

"To live a lifetime of persecution? Not only have you hurt yourself but Rex as well! You were so selfish that you had to have a son. A son who will face a lifetime of discrimination because of you! You should have stayed alone like you deserved!"

That seemed to ignite a spark in Shayera. She was angry now. No one brought up her son like that. No one.

Giving a war cry Shayera flew at her enemy with blind rage. Lord Hawkgirl, with reflexes surprising Shayera, dodged the attack and grabbed Shayera by the wrist.

Shayera yelped in pain as her arm was twisted behind her back.

"You foolish bitch," Lord Hawkgirl whispered evilly. "The more anger you let out, the stronger I get."

And with that Lord Hawkgirl pushed Shayera down and aimed a kick at her. Shayera groaned.

Laughing Lord Hawkgirl kneeled down to Shayera.

"Go ahead, get angry. It will make me more powerful. Destroy yourself."

Shayera got up, determined to keep her anger bottled up.

She swung at Lord Hawkgirl who again dodged the attack and responded with a counterattack.

"It's hopeless!" Lord Hawkgirl proclaimed. "You're just like Batman! Always angry! You can't fight me without your anger! Surrender and I will end your pitiful existence!"

What Lord Hawkgirl said was true. Shayera had fought her whole life relying on anger, but it seemed her foe would get stronger with that anger. She either had two options. Either she would not be able to fight, or she would make her foe unbeatable.

Shayera decided to take her chances with the latter. Better to go down fighting an unbeatable foe than to remain passive.

With another war cry she charged at her unstoppable foe.

000000

John stood outside the mausoleum. He could hear his wife's cries of pain and grunts. He could tell she was struggling. What was odd though it sounded like she was fighting herself.

"What is she fighting?" John demanded when he couldn't take it anymore.

Andrea just gave a cold stare.

"Batman always believed that if the Justice League were to let the unbridled rage he always felt consume themselves, the Justice Lords would emerge. She is fighting her own counterpart."

"You said something about the angrier she gets the stronger her foe gets?" Dick asked.

Andrea still gave an icy stare.

"Yes. Shayera relies on her anger to fight. Her foe is actually fueled by that anger she liberally releases."

John got his ring ready.

"What are you doing John?" Superman asked.

"I'm not going to standby as my wife gets herself killed!" he remarked and made his way to the mausoleum entrance, determined to break it down.

His way was blocked by Andrea.

"This is not your fight…"

"Like hell it is!"

"John," Diana said trying to calm him down. "I have faith in Shayera…"

"She's going to get herself killed!" John shouted. "You all know how she is! She fights off of anger! It's how she's always fought! She just loses control and lets that anger do the fighting!"

"John," whispered a monotone voice.

Green Lantern turned around to find himself facing the glowing eyes of J'onn.

"Have faith in her John," the Martian stated. "She needs to win this one. If you really love her, trust her."

John glared at the Martian. If there was anyone who had no right to talk about trust it was him. J'onn went behind their backs without their consent. Sure John did agree that the Martian had the right idea, but still, the Martian acted without their approval just like Batman had done.

Nonetheless, something about J'onn's tone seemed to have calmed Green Lantern down and reluctantly he lowered his hand and backed away.

000000

"UNGH!" Shayera grunted as she received a backhand swing from her foe. Shayera could feel blood falling on her face. She had a nasty gash by her right eyebrow. She ignored it though.

Fiercely, Shayera swung and managed to hit her foe in the stomach and knock her off balance. But Lord Hawkgirl was stronger than what Shayera had anticipated and she was soon on her feet again.

"You are a disgrace to both your own kind and the Justice League! How does that make you feel?"

"Pretty pissed off!" Shayera shouted and swung violently. Lord Hawkgirl dodged it with a smirk. Shayera like a rabid animal dived at her enemy. Lord Hawkgirl caught her by the arms and head butted Shayera.

Shayera screamed in pain, the helmet had cut deep into her forehead. She was bleeding all over. It was a miracle she was still conscious. Barely…

"You are a failure!" Lord Hawkgirl mocked. "You save the world so many times and yet they still curse your name and leave you out in the cold! You should have done what I did, take charge! Assert your dominance! Your superiority! Release that Rage and show the world what you really are!"

Shayera tried to get up. Her strategy wasn't working. Maybe she should try fighting calm. Try to find her center or whatever Dinah always said to do when fighting. Stay calm, stay calm…

Lord Hawkgirl picked up a weakened Shayera by the back of the neck and slammed her face on the ground laughing.

"Now you try to keep that anger suppressed? It's no use! I'm too strong now! Might as well unleash all of it! Give me more strength and I will make your death painless and quick!"

Shayera broke free, even though she felt like she was about to black out. She was doing all she can to keep her anger buried. But like Lord Hawkgirl said, she was useless in a fight without anger.

"Why do you resist? Accept it! You have failed! You are a failure!"

Shayera felt the anger burning inside of her but she buried it.

"Don't fight it!" Lord Hawkgirl commanded. "I can sense it in you! It wants to be release, go ahead!"

Shayera sighed and fell back. She didn't have the fight in her, but she was not going to give her enemy the satisfaction of losing control. She remained motionless, trying to keep that anger buried.

"No? Then I will strangle you myself!"

Before Shayera could react she felt strong hands around her throat. Lord Hawkgirl was going to choke her to death. Shayera squirmed pitifully, but she had no willpower left. Her strength was gone.

"Submit!" Lord Hawkgirl whispered evilly. "Or let that anger be released! I can feel it in you!"

Shayera felt her eyes roll back. She was going to die here. How appropriate. Killed by her own anger.

She tried to struggle but in vain.

Her world was blacking out when her eyes caught something. It was the statue of Lord Batman. His blank eyes showing that blind rage. He was not that different than their Batman. Always having a burning desire for revenge that was never satisfied. An endless fury. An insatiable rage. How did he do it? Never lose control?

And at that moment Shayera remembered what the memories had shown her.

Batman was always angry.

Immediately another fire ignited in Shayera, but this one was different. It was a realization. An epiphany.

With new inspiration, Shayera managed to find her mace and swung it at Lord Hawkgirl's head. Lord Hawkgirl shrieked in pain and fell off of Shayera.

Shayera gasped and coughed when she could breathe again and got to her knees.

Lord Hawkgirl however was already on her feet.

"Still alive huh? Well I can fix that!"

With sudden speed Lord Hawkgirl swung at Shayera who was still on her knees. However Shayera grabbed Lord Hawkgirl's hand. Shayera tightly closed her grip on her enemy's wrist. Lord Hawkgirl screamed in pain and in shock by the sudden new level of resistance Shayera was showing.

"I'm tired," Shayera whispered coldly and slowly, before picking up her voice gradually with every word. "Of everyone telling me to bury my anger!"

And with that, she threw Lord Hawkgirl across the room.

"My whole life people have been telling me to control my anger, that I would lose control and cause damage if I let it out. And you know what? They were right!"

Lord Hawkgirl angrily got to her feet but Shayera was too quick and swung her mace violently at Lord Hawkgirl.

"But they are also wrong!" Shayera explained. "Being angry is part of who I am and I accept that! I am just like Bruce; it is a part of me and nothing I do will change that!"

Lord Hawkgirl swung rabidly at Shayera who easily caught her wrist again. In an attempt to mimic her foe, Shayera twisted Lord Hawkgirl's arm behind her back. Lord Hawkgirl shrieked and tried to struggle free.

"My husband had his epiphany, Dick and Wally did, and Lobo…well he didn't…but the point is, everyone in these tests has succeeded because they realized something about Batman with the exception of Lobo," she whispered tauntingly in her foe's ear.

"Enough!" Lord Hawkgirl shouted and tried to use the back of her head to head butt Shayera again. Shayera dodged it and slammed her foe to the ground, still having the arm behind the back.

"And now it's my turn. If Batman was angry all this time, why did he not snap earlier? If he was Batman for twenty something years, why did he never completely cross the line yet?"

"Not listening!" Lord Hawkgirl shouted and broke free and got to her feet. Shayera however kept a calm smile at her exasperated foe.

"And that's when I asked myself, if Batman never suppressed his anger, how did he never lose control?"

Lord Hawkgirl charged but Shayera dodged it and managed to get a good hit at the back of Lord Hawkgirl's head.

Lord Hawkgirl collapsed onto the floor.

"What made Batman special was not that he had an unlimited source of anger, but he was able to control it, harness it. Convert it to aggression and use it when it was appropriate."

Lord Hawkgirl was starting to stir again; Shayera put a boot on her fallen foe.

"Sure, there were times he lost control, but those were rare. He never suppressed his anger though. Instead he learned how to control it, and use it to his advantage, and by that, I beat you! As long as I can channel my anger into aggression, you can't beat me!"

Lord Hawkgirl knocked Shayera off. Shayera quickly got to her feet.

"Now who's losing control?" Shayera commented with a smirk on her face.

"Enough!" Lord Hawkgirl shouted and charged at Shayera with murder screaming in her eyes.

"Say goodnight bitch," Shayera said and swung her mace right into the face of her oncoming foe.

Lord Hawkgirl screamed and fell to her knees, shaking violently.

Red light seemed to be oozing from her body as she continued to tremble. A glowing red mist escaped from her mouth and Lord Hawkgirl's body collapsed. It had crumbled into stone.

Shayera smiled, but then noticed the red mist had faded away. Her foe was beaten. She had learned how to master Rage.

000000

For a while the League had heard silence. The sound of Shayera's fight had stopped. The quietness unnerved them, especially John.

Finally they heard the sound of someone weakly approaching the door. Someone taking deep breaths and gasps of pain every few seconds.

Suddenly the mausoleum door opened revealing a bloodstained Shayera. Her face was cut up badly and her hair a mess. Her shirt was torn and her wings were battered. But she was still alive. Her eyes showed it.

"Shayera!" John shouted with concern and immediately ran up to her to help her out.

"I'm fine John. A couple of stitches and I'll be okay," she said trying to gently brush her husband off her. But he wasn't going to let go of her. He loved her too much.

Andrea walked up Shayera and placed her scythe hand in front of Shayera's face. Shayera stared at it cautiously. A red light oozed out of the scythe and bathed Shayera. Like how the green light had healed her husband in the Realm of Willpower, the red light had healed her. Her face and shirt was still stained with blood, but the gashes and cuts were gone. The bruises were erased.

"Or that works too," Shayera remarked with a smile.

Wally ran up and hugged Shayera who was still being supported by John.

"I knew you could do it!" he said happily.

"Nice to see you to kiddo," Shayera said happily.

"So what did ya get?" Lobo asked greedily.

Shayera looked at Andrea.

"I passed, give me the Emblem," she demanded fiercely. She still had a lot of fight in her.

Andrea sighed and glided away to a gravestone nearby. There was a rose on it. Andrea bent down and picked it up. On her touch the rose began to glow bright red.

"This is Bruce's Emblem of Rage. Every time he puts a rose like this on his parents' grave, it reminds him of the outrage he felt that fateful night. This graveyard is a reminder of his outrage."

Andrea then turned around and glided to Shayera, presenting her the rose.

"You, Shayera Hol, have understood how Batman coped with that rage. He didn't suppress it but he didn't let it consume him. He instead channeled it as a force for good. I hope you all learn from this. That Batman wasn't an emotionless basturd, but instead as a man who used his emotions as a tool to fight."

Shayera silently took the rose. It was still glowing red. She tucked it into her belt.

"Now go," Andrea said pointing to the cemetery gate. "You still have three more to go."

Dick took the lead and started heading out. He didn't want to be in this realm any longer. He was followed by Wally and Lobo.

Diana and Superman took one last look around unsure and walked toward the gate to catch up with the others.

"John?" Shayera said softly.

"Yes Shy?" John asked, showing much love and concern for his wife.

"You can let me go now," she said.

Embarrassed John let go and the married couple exited the realm holding hands.

Andrea sighed and noticed one was still here.

"You should be going Martian. They need your help and you don't have much time," Andrea said while taking off her hood and mask to reveal her icy blue eyes to him.

"What is the clue to the next realm?" J'onn asked.

Andrea smirked a little.

"When things look dark, do not forget to turn on the light," Andrea said mysteriously.

J'onn knew that was all he was going to get, and like his comrades, he too made to leave the realm. The iron gate had shut behind him after he exited the cemetery.

**What realm will they enter next? What will be that manifestation of that emotion? Or will they perish to Doctor Destiny's plan? **


	26. Destiny Returns

**I'm totally amazed by the review and interest people have given to this story. I really do appreciate these reviews. It's nice to know people actually care about this story I have written.**

For awhile all eight of the group just stood in solemn silence. The euphoria of Shayera's victory had died down; now they were all pausing to reflect on what they just saw. The memory of Tim and the Joker was still haunting them like a never ending nightmare.

Finally John spoke.

"I think we need to make a decision now," he stated.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked angrily. He was starting to distrust more of the League by the second.

John sighed.

"We need to decide if we should keep going-"

"You are giving up on Batman? After everything you saw?" Dick shouted back.

"John," Shayera said, now uncomfortable that he was holding her hand. "Why?"

John shook his head.

"I truly am sorry for what has happened for Batman. I am. Seeing everything has made me realize how wrong we were. How wrong I was to judge him. I still want to keep going but-"

"But what?" Dick asked, interrupting John.

John sighed.

"Look I want to keep going. I don't want to give up. But I don't want to keep going if half of us don't have the fight in us anymore. We are still reeling back from the last two realms. The next ones could be worse…"

"You don't know that," Dick said.

John ignored him to get his second point across.

"Plus we are on a time crunch. What's going to happen if we are still here and time runs out?"

No one answered to that. Dick was glaring at J'onn as usual. It was all his fault.

Superman paused. John did raise a good point. Avarice and Rage seemed to have taken the life out of a lot of them. Not only was it heartbreaking to have their deepest desires torn away from them, but the memories of Bruce and Tim were traumatic. Plus Superman wasn't sure if they could take any more guilt. It was becoming more painful to not only watch Batman's pain, but their own failure to help him.

"John has a point," Superman said. "I don't know but we have seen a lot. I don't know if we have any energy to-"

"To what? Be reminded how lousy you were to Bruce?" Dick remarked.

"Not that Dick it's just…"

"You know Kent, I feel like shit too! I feel guilty for how I treated Bruce! But that's why I'm not giving up. I don't know about you but even if the odds are against us…"

Dick stopped to shoot another glare at J'onn.

"…I'm still going to give it my all to save him, with or without your help."

Superman sighed.

"How many days?" the Kryptonian asked the Martian.

J'onn bowed his head in shame.

"Three," J'onn muttered gravely. "We have three realms left, so we must hurry."

"If it's been half of week, how come we don't feel hungry or thirsty?" Wally asked confused.

J'onn sighed.

"Like time, the rules in the dream plane are a little different. You can go a lot longer without sleep or sustenance."

Superman sighed. They weren't going to give up. Not now. Not ever.

"All in favor of continuing?" Superman asked raising his own hand.

Dick and Wally's hands shot up immediately, followed by John and Shayera. J'onn's hand went up as well. Diana's hand was up but she seemed distracted, like she wasn't paying attention to what she was voting for.

The only holdout was Lobo. He crossed his arms and scowled.

"It seems alotta work to save one guy," Lobo remarked.

"You volunteered Lobo. You got your wish," Superman replied before speaking to the group. "Well it's settled. We keep going."

Superman then looked at J'onn again.

"Andrea said something about 'in darkness don't forget to turn on the light' as the clue for the next realm. What does that mean?" Superman asked J'onn.

J'onn paused to think.

"It's Hope," he explained. "Its color should be blue. We need to find the Realm of Hope."

"How do we do that?" Wally asked. "I hate to be a Debbie Downer but we can't see anything in this dark."

"Let me think," J'onn said and he began to pace around to think how to enter Hope. That was trickier than Rage and Fear. You can't force it like the other two. You can't create it. It has to come naturally.

For awhile the group sat in silence as J'onn paused to think. Dick was feeling antsy. He had a feeling the Martian was stalling.

Wally however was curious.

"What are the other two realms?" he asked.

"Compassion and Love," J'onn said nonchalantly and went back to his thinking.

"Love?" Diana asked, except her voice was not really heard. In fact the only one who heard her nervous response was Superman due to his superhearing.

Sensing it was time to get to the bottom of it, he approached Diana.

"What's wrong?"

Diana forced a smile.

"Nothing. I just can't really picture Batman being in love."

Superman sighed.

"Diana," he said softly so only she could hear. "I'm your friend. You can tell me."

Diana looked around. John and Shayera were talking to each other while Dick and Wally watched the pacing Martian. Lobo meanwhile was cleaning his gun and chain, muttering under his breath. No one would notice if they wandered off.

Diana led Superman a good distance away from the group. She didn't know why she was telling him this, but she needed to tell someone. Keeping it buried was eating her alive.

When they were at a good spot, Diana spoke up.

"Remember the Black Mercies on us?"

A flash of pain went through Superman's eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Diana apologized in horror upon realizing what she had just brought up for Superman.

"No it's alright," Superman said sadly. "It wasn't as painful as the last time, but it still hurts. I guess we can learn from Batman and just live with it."

For a while the two friends just stood silently reflecting the loss of their mutual friend and how they had abandoned him and pushed him away.

Finally the Amazon in Diana summoned the courage for her to tell the truth.

"Well in my dream or fantasy, I saw something..."

Superman gave her a curious but sympathetic look.

"I-I was married. I had two kids, a boy and girl, like I talked about when we were on the staircase. They were Tom and Athena. They felt so real. Like I knew them my whole life…"

Superman placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand Di. But you have to look for something in the real world to make you happy, not dwell in a fake memory. I have Lois to live for and I'm happy with her. Who knows though? Maybe you will have that little girl and boy with Tom. You two are…"

"Bruce was the father!" Diana blurted out.

Superman's eyes widened at that revelation.

"What?"

"I was married to Bruce, not Tom!" Diana explained. Her eyes seemed a little watery and she was angry. Angry at herself.

"Wait, why?" Superman asked.

Diana sighed.

"A few years ago, Bruce and I were really close," she explained.

"But you and I are close as well."

"A different kind of close Clark," Diana said. She didn't know why but she felt a little ashamed when she admitted it.

"How close?"

Diana took a deep breath. She never really knew what her relationship with Bruce was. They never really officially dated but they weren't just friends at the time before they grew apart from each other.

"Nothing serious. We flirted a couple of times, shared a dance on a mission, showed general concern for each other's safety and a kiss or two…"

"Wait, two?" Superman asked in shock. Diana looked around. She was amazed the rest of the group afar didn't hear Superman's sudden rise in volume.

Superman meanwhile was beside himself. He knew Diana and Batman flirted and teased he each other, but he didn't even think it was remotely serious. He knew Diana kissed him once at a mission in Gorilla City as a little thank you but what was the other kiss?

"When did you kiss again?" he asked, a little embarrassed how his voice had risen.

Diana sighed.

"During the Thangarian Invasion, we almost got caught so we hid in a restaurant. When some of the enemy had walked in, we both realized we needed to hide our faces, so we started kissing. It was just on impulse. It meant nothing," Diana said quickly, ignoring how her lasso had burned a little slightly at that remark.

Superman eyed her suspiciously.

"Are you sure…"

"It meant nothing Kal," she said sternly. The last thing she needed was him prying into her past mistakes.

"But then why did he show up in the Black Mercy?"

Diana sighed.

"I don't know. That is what I have been asking myself. I got over him and moved on. Why is he still lingering in my head?"

"Maybe your own heart is telling you something…"

Diana shook her head.

"No. I did the lasso on me. It didn't burn when I was thinking about how I still hated Bruce for his countermeasures and his heartless actions. How can I say there is still something when I hate him?"

Clark leaned in.

"Some things are unexplainable Diana. I am now convinced Bruce hates me now. You saw that last memory; I did betray him in his mind. I destroyed our friendship. Was he at fault as well? Yes. But I think he expected me to try to make an effort to preserve our friendship. When he realized I gave up on him, he hated me."

"That is not true Kal. He doesn't hate you…"

Superman sighed. "I wouldn't blame him if he did. I deserve it…"

"Don't say that…"

"But despite believing Bruce hates me now, I'm still here. It's just funny how we do things isn't it? The point I'm trying to make is, sometimes, we do some things that don't make sense to even ourselves."

Diana paused to think over that remark. Why was she here?

"We should get back to the others," Superman said sensing this was a good time to end the conversation. "My only advice is I don't think you hate Bruce anymore. I don't think you ever did. I saw the look on your face in the last realm…"

And with that he headed back to the group, leaving Diana some time to reflect.

Diana paused. Even though she didn't trust the lasso, she might as well try it again.

She wrapped it around her wrists. She then began to say to herself how she didn't hate Bruce anymore. She thought how her anger had slipped away. How she felt guilty for threatening he would die alone and not see his side of the story. How all these cruel things had happen to him and she never considered that being a factor for his behavior.

The lasso didn't burn. So what Clark said was true. She didn't hate him anymore. She then thought of Tom. She still loved him. She wanted to marry him.

Again the lasso didn't burn.

Diana sighed and quickly unwrapped the lasso from her wrists. That was all the answers she needed. Besides they didn't have much time. She would worry about this later.

She was approaching the group just in time for J'onn to stop pacing. The Martian sighed and looked at the group, briefly making eye contact with Diana. She gave him an encouraging smile.

J'onn addressed the group.

"We need to have Hope," he explained.

"Wha?" Lobo asked confused.

"Hope. Faith. Relentless optimism," J'onn explained. "We need to think more positive. I can sense it in all of us. We are feeling negative. The negative emotions aren't allowing us to have access to Hope."

"It's hard to hope when you put us on a time crunch," Dick remarked darkly to himself.

J'onn paused at that insult. Wally glared at Dick and mouthed, "Not now."

"J'onn?" Diana asked softly. "Continue please."

J'onn cleared his throat.

"This is what we have to do. We all need to start thinking-"

"About giving up," said a singsong voice from above.

Alarmed the group looked around. Doctor Destiny had returned.

Lobo was already shooting blindly at the darkness surrounding them.

"Where's that fraggin' bastiche? I'm gonna fry his ass!"

Doctor Destiny's laughter echoed around them. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"Oh Lobo, Lobo. You are almost as ugly as the motorcycle that you speed around on…"

Hey!" Lobo cried angrily. "No one insults my bike!"

And with that Lobo shot another wild shot.

"Lobo, knock it off!" Superman said and slapped his arm down. No good to be shooting wildly. Who knows what would happen?

"Ah yes, Superman. The fearless leader. The Man of Steel. So brave, so inspirational. So…insecure."

Superman ignored the taunt. Doctor Destiny was trying to get to him.

Diana placed a hand on Superman's shoulder.

"Don't listen to him Clark. He's just…"

"And Princess Diana. The little girl who ran away from home! Tell me how does it feel to be abandoned by your own kind?"

Diana ignored the remark.

"Don't fight it little girl!" Doctor's Destiny voice echoed. "But that's what you are good at. Hiding from the truth. And you think Batman has issues…"

"Come out and fight you coward!" Shayera yelled, patting her mace threateningly.

"Oh you are no fun. Very well."

And before anyone could react, a violent force slammed on the ground. The shockwave knocked everyone off their feet. Doctor Destiny stood on the ground, pleased with what he had just done.

"Ohhh you're so fraggin' dead!" Lobo shouted and charged while pulling out a crowbar from his belt.

Doctor Destiny just grinned and blasted Lobo with green gas.

"No fair…" Lobo coughed weakly before passing out.

Doctor Destiny calmly walked up to the barely conscious Czarnian.

"I will be taking what's in your pocket," Doctor Destiny calmly said as he got on one knee and made to grab the orange glowing pearls in Lobo's jacket pocket.

"Don'tcountonit!"

Before Doctor Destiny could react, he was carried away by Wally who had gotten to his feet and was running in circles around the group, clutching Doctor Destiny tightly, in an attempt to make him dizzy.

"Silly boy," Doctor Destiny said annoyed and shocked the speedster. Wally cried in pain and collapsed.

"Wally!" Shayera cried angrily and charged at Doctor Destiny.

Doctor Destiny turned into smoke and Shayera charged through nothing. Doctor Destiny reappeared laughing.

"It was foolish to try to fight me now. The longer I have been here, the stronger I get…"

Shayera swung her mace. It had hit him good. A common weakness villains all had was they talked too much sometimes. An opportunity Shayera loved to take advantage of.

J'onn ran to Wally trying to wake him up. No one bothered to run to Lobo who was already regaining consciousness while cursing under his breath.

Shayera and John knelt over Doctor Destiny's lifeless body. He was bleeding all over his skull like face. His eyes were closed.

John still had his ring aimed ready to go.

"Good hit," he whispered to his wife.

"Thanks," Shayera said proudly.

But at that moment Doctor Destiny's body sunk into the ground and vanished.

His laughing was heard again.

"It is hopeless. Surrender now and I might let you walk out of here unscathed."

Shayera and John looked around for their foe. Suddenly two strong hands had grabbed them by the neck.

John and Shayera gasped for breath as they were picked up in the air by the neck.

"You can't beat me," Doctor Destiny whispered before slamming their heads together. John and Shayera collapsed with a groan. Luckily Lobo had gotten to his feet just in time for John and Shayera to land on him again. His hulking frame had broken their fall.

Unfortunately he was now on his back again, buried under two unconscious heroes.

"Aw come on!" he complained and struggled to push Shayera and Green Lantern off of him.

Diana and Superman decided it was time to strike. They flew into the air and tried to wrestle the madman.

Doctor Destiny just laughed again and broke free.

Superman shot lasers out of his eyes. Doctor Destiny screamed in discomfort. Diana saw an opportunity and went to strike. Doctor Destiny went flying as Superman chased after him.

Meanwhile on the ground, J'onn was still examining Wally. Dick had run up to him.

"Give me the bullets!" he demanded, pulling out the yellow gun, his portion of the Emblem of Fear.

"What are you doing?" J'onn asked even though he knew exactly what he was planning to do.

"I'm going to shoot that thing with this!" Dick said. "The Bat said load the gun when the time is right. Well I'm going to use it!"

"But it's a gun…"

"I know but we are getting slaughtered here. Besides it's from Batman's own mind, I think it's appropriate to make an exception!"

J'onn attempted to place a comforting hand on Dick.

"Nightwing," J'onn said. "It won't work. He will just absorb it and it will make him stronger. The Bat was referring to loading the gun when it was time to…"

"I don't care what you have to say!" Dick shouted and brushed J'onn's hand off. He then began searching Wally's body for the two bullets.

"Dick," J'onn said, his voice going softer.

That caused Dick to pause. It was a miracle J'onn had remained calm and never raised his voice the entire time Dick had been verbally assaulting him.

"You need to trust me…"

"Like I'm going to trust you!" Dick sneered.

"Dick, I know what you are feeling. Especially towards me. But right now I am asking, no begging, you. Please, trust me. "

Dick looked at the Martian. At first he wanted to brush off the Martian. The Martian didn't deserve his trust. He couldn't be trusted.

Yet despite the circumstances, something about J'onn at the moment was making Dick feel unsure. J'onn was begging. His eyes were pleading to Dick. He was being vulnerable right now, trying to show Dick that he was trying to do the right thing.

And with that Dick sighed. As much as he was still angry, he just couldn't ignore the Martian.

"Fine, I trust you," he said begrudgingly. "Now what?"

A flash of Blue light began to glow in the middle. J'onn smiled.

"Amazing what Faith can do with Hope," J'onn noted stoically.

Dick and J'onn watched as the blue light glowed to a spiraling portal. The next doorway had opened.

Something flew out of the portal. Something black and red, toward the airborne Superman and Wonder Woman wrestling with Doctor Destiny.

00000

Superman was trying to squeeze Doctor Destiny in a tight hold so Diana could continue to punch him. It seemed to be hurting their enemy.

But like what he did with Wally, Doctor Destiny suddenly sent out a shock of energy.

Both Diana and Superman screamed in pain and Doctor Destiny took advantage to break free. Diana and Superman managed to regain control and were still floating in the air, angrily glaring at Doctor Destiny who was grinning evilly while he hovered a few feet above them.

"After I beat you two, I will take great pleasure in killing the rest of your friends as I pry the Emblems from their hands. I really want to thank you. Your attempt to save Batman has made my job so much eas-ARGH!"

Doctor Destiny was tackled by something. It was a figure in black with red wings.

Doctor Destiny cried as he fell to the ground. The attacker letting go just in time to glide safely away as Doctor Destiny landed on the ground with a great impact.

The rescuer landed on his feet.

Diana and Superman stared in shock. J'onn and Dick were bewildered.

Their rescuer was Batman, but it wasn't at the same time.

It was a Batman but not _their_ Batman.

This Batman seemed skinnier and smaller than Bruce was. His suit seemed sharper and crisper than Bruce's as well. Instead of grey and black, the main color pattern was black and red. The horns were twice as long as the ones on Bruce's cowl and a cape was notably absent.

But what was the most telling sign was this Batman unlike Bruce seemed to have a cheerier attitude. It almost looked like he was beaming at the group in front of them.

"Who are you?" Dick asked confused.

The Batman turned around to face Dick.

"I'm Terry, how are you doing?"

Dick was a little unnerved by the sudden friendliness of this Batman.

"Uh…I'll live?"

"Good enough for me," Terry snapped. Let's go, get into the portal!"

No one asked questions or wasted time. They were getting creamed out there.

Lobo went in first, carrying an unconscious Shayera and John in each arm. J'onn and Dick entered next, carrying Wally while Diana and Superman came last. Diana paused before she entered. Doctor Destiny was stirring.

"Come on let's go!" Terry said urgently as he pushed her inside.

Doctor Destiny got up just in time to see the younger Batman stick his tongue out at him before the portal sealed.

000000

"Is everyone okay?" Superman asked.

"I'm fine Supes. I could use an iced mocha though," moaned Wally who was gaining consciousness again. That was the second time Doctor Destiny had knocked him out.

"I'm going to frag that geek's ass 'til Kingdom Come," Lobo complained. "Nobody disses my bike!"

On the other side, Diana and J'onn were bent over Shayera and John.

"How are they?" Diana asked.

J'onn sighed.

"They are alright. I'm surprised with the resilience they have all shown. What we have all shown so far."

Diana sighed with relief and got up. However her spot was soon replaced by Dick.

"Hey J'onn," Dick whispered as he looked around uncomfortably.

"Yes?" J'onn asked unsure.

"Uh…thanks," Dick said before getting up and awkwardly walking away.

J'onn could not help but let out a brief smile. But he was soon interrupted by Shayera and John waking up at the same time.

"Ugh…what happened?" John said.

"I'm sick and tired of getting beaten around," muttered Shayera annoyed as she came to.

"Where are we?" John asked confused.

The group looked around. They were in a city again. But it wasn't Gotham City. This city was different. This city was lighter, brighter. There were shades of blue light illuminating it.

It did not take them long to recognize the city. Superman was perplexed.

"This is…"

"Metropolis," Terry interrupted, reminding the group he was with them. "Batman's Realm of Hope takes the form of Metropolis.

John looked at Terry with eyes wide in shock.

"Terry?" he asked in surprise.

"Hey John how are you doing?" Terry asked with a friendly tone.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Dick asked suspiciously. He never saw that suit before.

"I'm Terry McGinnis, and welcome to the Realm of Hope!" Terry said proudly.

**Who will be tested? What gives Batman hope?**


	27. Hope

"How do you know him John?" Shayera asked. Like everyone else, she was startled by this manifestation. Especially since he seemed to be a brighter Batman.

"He was the current Batman when Bruce and I went to the future. The old man we saw earlier was teaching him," John explained.

"So you replace Bruce?" Wally asked Terry. He had a hard time imagining anyone would take the cowl from him.

Dick was feeling a little bit of betrayal. Batman would never give him the cowl. But then again he did leave Batman and wanted to get away from his shadow.

"Possibly," Terry said, his face finally looking a little serious.

"What do you mean?" Superman asked confused.

"Like the Old Man said in Willpower, Bruce saw us when the time stream was corrupted. I might or might not exist anymore. I'm just a possible future. To Batman, the idea that there will be someone out there to continue his efforts and that his whole life fighting crime wasn't for nothing; that gives him hope. That is why I take this form."

"I still have a hard time believing Batbrain has hope. From everythin' I seen, how can ya have any after seein' everyone ya know getting' shot?" Lobo remarked snidely.

Terry sighed.

"Yes he does not use me as much as I think he should, but trust me, even Batman has hope. It is what gives him purpose…"

"I thought it was Rage," Shayera quipped.

Terry paused before finding a way to explain.

"Think of it like this. Willpower is a car and Rage is the fuel. Well Hope, is the direction. Can a car go anywhere without a direction?"

No one answered that question, if it even was a question.

"Willpower and Hope go together. Hope gives a reason to never give up. Bruce is stubborn and competitive yes, but think about it. Even with anger, why does Batman continue doing what he does? His own willpower and stubbornness would not falter on fighting crime, but he probably would try other ways as well. There are multiple ways he can direct his Rage to fight crime. The reason why Batman has continuing in his supposedly losing battle for twenty years is the idea, the hope, that his efforts will matter. That someday Gotham will not need a Batman and become a city like Metropolis whether it is in his time or way beyond that. It is the hope that even if he dies, the spirit of Batman will live on. That is hope. It is purpose, it is direction."

No one spoke for a while after Terry's monologue. It was still hard for some to grasp their heads around, mainly because Terry gave his explanation like someone would give a motivational speech. Batman didn't seem the kind of person to give the optimistic speech or pep talk.

"You don't believe that Batman has hope? Watch, I'll show you," Terry said and took off in flight, not even waiting for the group.

Superman and Wonder Woman shrugged. He seemed trustworthy enough. Superman grabbed Lobo as Diana grabbed Dick. John and Shayera took off as well with Shayera carrying the speedster.

They did not have to fly far; Terry had led them to the top of the Planet. The globe was upright for once.

When they had immediately landed on the roof, Terry gleefully went up to the globe and rapped it gently.

"Alright, show them what gives Bruce Hope," Terry commanded.

To the surprise of everyone, the globe began to spin wildly despite appearing to be a statue. The globe was spinning so fast eventually it disappeared to be replaced by an orb roughly the same size as the globe.

Something was moving in the orb. The heroes immediately knew what it was; it was another replay of Batman's memories.

Batman was out of costume. He looked like he just worked out. He was looking over someone on the ground. Dick immediately recognized who the person on the ground was. It was Tim. Dick was amazed how young he looked.

"I told you to give me everything you got," Bruce said a little sternly to Tim who was still on the ground.

Tim however reacted with an ankle sweep, surprising his mentor. Tim was now on top of Bruce.

"Well?" Tim asked, a little proud of himself.

Bruce grabbed Tim by the neck and Tim went out. Bruce got up, gently pushing Tim off him.

"Mater Bruce! Was that necessary?" Alfred asked with concern.

Bruce just grinned.

"He's a tough kid. I hit a pressure point. He'll wake up in a few minutes."

True to his word, Tim was quickly stirring.

"Wha-? What happened?" Tim asked.

"Pressure point," Bruce explained. "Better situational awareness next time."

Tim looked a little disappointed and upset. Bruce frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you those tomorrow," Bruce said.

"Can we do it today, please?" Tim asked eagerly.

Bruce sighed.

"I got to work on a case…"

Tim's face looked disappointed at that news.

"But we can do it after lunch…"Bruce said, spying Tim's not so subtle signs.

Tim beamed.

"Go up and take a shower for now though. It's always imperative to have good hygiene."

Tim went racing away. Alfred was smiling at Bruce.

"I must say Master Bruce; I have never seen you this energized in a long time. I might actually witness you crack a smile," Alfred bantered.

Bruce scowled and wrapped a towel around his shoulders.

"He's good. Within a few months he can be the best."

"He has a great teacher and father figure," Alfred claimed.

Bruce sighed.

"I'm not a father. Look what happened with Dick and me…"

Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Master Bruce, you may have made mistakes with Master Richard but you know he still loves you."

Dick was watching this trying to keep back the tears. What Alfred said was true. He did love Bruce. He may have been too proud to admit it, but Bruce was like a father to him. And he still was, despite everything that had happened.

"And I know you love him too," Alfred continued on. "You are proud of him."

Bruce took a swig of water before coughing.

"I'm proud of all them," Bruce admitted nonchalantly. It seemed Alfred was the only person to get Bruce to talk like a normal human being.

Dick was amazed. Did Bruce just admit he was proud in all of him? Of Barbara? Of Tim?

Bruce was not done talking.

"Dick still has a lot to learn, but he is his own man now. I'm glad he is. He's a better man than me."

Everyone was amazed at that remark. Did Bruce just admit someone else was better than him?

Dick now was on the verge of laughing at the irony. Before this he would have killed to hear Batman's approval, but now that was the least of his worries. Right now he was more concern about saving Batman.

"You should be proud of yourself Bruce. You are raising two fine young men and you have been a good mentor for Barbara."

Bruce took another swig and continued to scowl at Alfred's face.

"I like to believe that Alfred, but I'm worried that I made mistakes. I'm not the great parent or guardian…"

"If you aren't," interrupted Alfred which is something he rarely did. "Then why do you take them in?"

Bruce sighed.

"Because it makes me believe that maybe everything I have been doing matters. That there will be someone to conduct the vigil when I'm gone."

The orb ceased at that moment and had returned to its original form as the Daily Planet Globe.

Terry turned to face the group again, mainly staring at Dick. "You guys may not believe tis, but Batman does get inspired. He is inspired by you, Dick. You and Barbara and Tim. You all gave him something to believe in. For the first time in his life, he actually felt like he mattered. That he wasn't in a hopeless fight when he took you all in."

Dick turned away. He didn't deserve Bruce's approval. Not after how he treated him.

"Hey man, don't feel bad," Terry said placing a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder. "I know the other realms have been showing the bad sides of Batman and making you all feel guilty, but the other two realms and I won't be doing that here. Bruce is at fault as well."

"But I was too stubborn to see that he actually cared," Dick interjected.

"And Bruce should have been a little more open about it. I mean would it kill him to for once say he was proud of you a little more often? Sheesh."

Terry then looked at the Justice League founders.

"Sure, Batman does not call on me a lot, but I can guarantee you, even in Batman's own 'heart of darkness' there is still hope. And that's why I'm happy to see and meet all of you! Especially you Justice League! You are what keeps me burning!"

The League looked uncomfortable with that. It was one thing for Bruce to be inspired by the Batclan but by them? Fat chance.

Terry laughed.

"God, Bruce is such an ass sometimes," he joked and tapped the globe again.

The scene cut to Bruce and Alfred again, except this time they were somewhere else in Wayne Manor. Bruce had the TV on and was watching a news report which the Justice League immediately recognized. It was their press conference after the CADMUS crisis when Green Arrow gave the impassioned speech for the Justice League.

"I must say well done sire. It is nice that you have people cheering for you."

Bruce smirked a little but resumed a pensive look. "They aren't cheering for me. They are cheering for everyone else."

"Nonsense, you have made as much effort as they had."

"I can only do so much. But what they can do is something I could only dream of. They have something special. They can actually inspire people. It is something that I can never do…"

"Not true. Gotham looks up to you. You are the symbol of Hope in Gotham."

Bruce shook his head.

"I'm the symbol of Fear, not hope. Hope is a job for the Justice League."

"Oh you are so bloody stubborn!" Alfred swore, causing Bruce to raise an eyebrow. "When can you have confidence in yourself and others?"

"I believe in them. I have faith in them Alfred."

"But you should have some faith in yourself," Alfred sighed before leaving to let Bruce reflect.

The memory swirled to reveal a different one. Bruce was now in Batman costume again. He was by someone's side. An old man in the hospital. Batman was talking to the old man.

"…I just want to say thank you for everything Jim. You were there when I needed you."

The old man chuckled before wheezing. Dick realized it was Gordon. With the after effects of chemo, Gordon looked almost unrecognizable to Dick. Gone were his moustache and hair. His skin seemed yellow and pale and his body appeared to have shrunk. The cancer seemed to have taken its toll.

"The doc gives me about a week to live…" Gordon explained. "I'm glad you came."

Batman turned around and stiffened. He was clearly uncomfortable at the moment.

"I'm sorry J-Jim," Batman replied while shaking slightly. "I'm not good at moments like this…"

"No worries Bruce. And you can take that cowl off. No one is going to walk in the room of a dying man. They don't want to feel pity."

Batman sighed and pulled the cowl off to reveal his piercing blue eyes. Instead of keeping a glare like Bruce usually did when he was in the batsuit without a cowl, his eyes were softer. They were holding back tears.

Gordon chuckled between coughs.

"We did some crazy shit together. You and I. Probably the best years of my whole cop career."

Gordon coughed again loudly.

"So how are things with you and Tim?" Gordon asked.

Bruce turned away guiltily.

"He moved out about a year ago," Bruce muttered darkly. "He said if he couldn't be Robin, there was no need to stay."

Gordon paused at that remark before smiling a little.

"Don't worry, he'll come around. You know how kids are. Remember how Babs wouldn't speak to you for a year?"

Bruce sighed.

"I'm supposed to be alone Jim. It's who I always was. Everyone I know goes away in the end…"

"Not true. I'm still here. This cancer hasn't gotten me yet," Jim retorted stubbornly earning a laugh from Bruce.

There was an awkward pause after that before Bruce turned to look Gordon in his eyes.

"I got to go on patrol Jim. But thank you, for everything."

"There is no need to thank me. I couldn't have done it without you. You were the one who gave this city hope when it was on the verge of collapse."

Batman didn't respond to that remark and made his way to the window.

"It's true Bruce! As much as you like to dwell in self-hatred, you have done some good for this city."

Bruce sighed and was about to jump the window.

"I don't care what the world says about the Justice League. Last time I check, it was you who saved Gotham, not them."

Bruce put on his cowl and slowly turned to face Gordon.

"The Justice League would do a better job than me. They are the ones who give hope, not me. It is why I respect them still despite our disagreement two years ago. We are from two different worlds," Batman denied.

Gordon laughed again.

"You should say that to them, maybe that will allow you to join them again."

Batman sighed.

"The League and I are done…"

"Bruce, come here for a second," Gordon interrupted.

Unsure, Batman stayed half out of the window.

"I'm dying. Come on let me tell you a secret," Gordon demanded.

Batman reluctantly approached the hospital bed. Gordon grasped Batman's gloved hand with surprising force for a man on his death bed.

"There is still time to fix things. I have faith in you…"

And with that the memory ceased and the orb had once again transformed into the gigantic globe.

"I would show you more but since we are on a time crunch I think you all get the point. Believe it or not, Batman was inspired by all of you! Believe it or not, you guys gave a man who had lost his faith something to believe in! If it wasn't for you, well I'm not sure what would have happened. Batman might not have even had existed anymore," Terry explained.

The group just sat in silence except Lobo who was snoring. He was bored by the touchy feely crap and had fallen asleep. Flash stomped on his foot to wake him up.

"FRAG!" Lobo swore. Terry did not seem to notice.

"If there is one thing to take out of this, it is even Batman has hope. When things seem bleak, just try to have a little hope. It's what keeps you going."

The group was unsure about that remark. They had been bombarded with much painful memories they were a little stun by this. Batman actually was inspired by them? That seemed unreal.

Terry sighed annoyed.

"Now don't start feeling guilty again. Like I said, Batman has his faults which made things worse. Would it have hurt him to tell you all how much you meant to him? The only people he told that are Alfred and Gordon and they are now dead. If you guys succeed, promise me one thing."

"What's that?" John asked.

"Have a little faith in Batman. If you show a little effort, he will give it back."

Terry then looked around the city before them.

"Well, we are on a tight schedule. Come on Supes! Let's go!" Terry said briskly and made to take off.

"What?" Superman asked confused and startled.

"You're up to bat!" Terry quickly explained, smiling at his own smart ass remark as he extended his wingspan. Superman however did not seem as eager and just hesitated.

"What's wrong Superman?" Shayera asked with concern. She never saw Superman look as lees confident as he did now.

Superman looked around.

"It shouldn't be me," he stated in a half whisper.

"What are you talking about? You're Superman!" Wally cried.

"The kid's gotta point Supes! Ya do make one hell of a poster boy," Lobo chimed in. Superman wasn't sure if that was a compliment or insult.

"I should be the last to be chosen. I don't deserve it. After everything I have done…"

"Kal," Diana said lovingly and placed a hand on his shoulder to encourage him. "You are always the one we look to for hope. Terry is right. I can't think of a better person to be tested for Hope…"

Superman backed away. The lack of confidence unnerved the group. They rarely saw him this unsure of himself. So much doubt and low self-esteem from Superman was off-putting.

"You don't understand! Bruce was my friend and I abandoned him. I lost faith! And for that he will hate me, and I deserve it! Dick you should could go; you have a better chance…"

"I already went and you saw the memory. He said he was inspired by the Justice League."

"He wasn't talking about me," Superman denied. "The rest maybe but not me. You all saw the look in his eyes when he resigned; he was hurt when I betrayed him. What kind of person abandons his own friend to misery and isolation?" Superman said, nearly begging. He really didn't want to be tested for this one. He already let Bruce down so many times.

Terry had walked back up to Superman and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Bruce doesn't hate you Superman. And he never will. I got time to show you one more thing…"

And with that Terry approached the globe and activated it again.

This time the orb showed Batman in Metropolis. It was raining and it looked like some disaster had just ended. It was deathly quiet. In Batman's hand a torn cloth was held tightly. The sound of someone sobbing brought Batman's attention from the cloth he held.

Wonder Woman was crying while being comforted by J'onn and Wally. Shayera and John meanwhile were attempting aid the rescue teams in clearing the debris. The group realized what was happening. It was the day Superman died and Batman was clutching the remains of his cape.

At the time they were so shocked by Superman's apparent death, they hadn't notice how out of character Batman was. He was angry and shaking madly. He kept glaring at the cloth as if it was the one responsible for Superman's disappearance.

Finally J'onn came up to him.

"We need to have a meeting now Batman. To discuss the current situation…"

"I got work to do," Batman said harshly and brushed off the Martian who was a little stunned by Batman's apparent callousness.

"But Batman…"

"I'm a part time member J'onn. I got other commitments as well," Batman snapped coldly.

J'onn remembered that dialogue. He could sense the turmoil Batman felt but decided not to pry. Batman deserved his privacy.

The memory then sped forward as Terry talked.

"For days, Bruce sat in his cave not coming out except to patrol. Not even Alfred could get him out…"

The memory shifted to Bruce watching Superman getting hit by Toyman's ray repeatedly on a loop.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said. Batman ignored his butler.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said with a little more force and assertiveness. Batman finally acknowledged his presence.

"What?" he said.

"Wonder Woman has been trying to call you through the Batcomputer the past two days. Do you think you should answer?" Alfred said pointing to an alert on his computer.

"I'm busy…" he muttered and went back to his work.

Alfred sighed and left.

Diana remembered how she had tried to reach him. For some reason she felt like he needed to be comforted the most out of the seven. But he would not accept her help. She had almost forgotten how worried she was for him. The past few years had made her forget a lot of things about Batman…

The memory shifted with Alfred talking to Bruce again. This time Alfred was trying to convince Bruce to go the funeral. To no one's surprise, Bruce rejected the offer coldly. He believed Superman wasn't dead.

When Clark had returned form the future and hear Batman say that he never thought he was dead, Clark thought Bruce was joking at first. Over time, especially after his fall out with Bruce, Clark had convinced himself that Batman was just being a cold hearted jerk. But now he understood. Batman _didn't _believe Superman had not died; he _needed_ to believe Superman was still alive.

The memory then shifted. It was Superman's funeral procession. Superman saw clips of it when he had returned so he was familiar to what happened. But still, it was weird to see it from someone else's memory.

Wait a minute? Batman didn't go to the funeral. How could this be in his memories?

As if responding to his thoughts, Superman saw the memory showing Diana looking around as she helped carry Superman's coffin. She was staring at something on a rooftop.

Someone was crouched in the shadows on a roof, quietly paying his respects to the procession. When the shadowy figure noticed that he was spotted by Diana, he disappeared.

The League and Superman were giving Diana shocked looks. They had been made to believe that Batman had ignored Superman's funeral, but he had been there all along, doing what he always did and silently watch from the shadows.

"Diana?" Superman asked with a look of shock and betrayal. Why did she never tell him?

"I-I," Diana wasn't even sure how she could explain this one. "I didn't want to embarrass him. I knew he was too proud to admit it so I thought over time he would come around. I just forgot about it as the years went by."

She was telling the truth. After the Apocalypse of '09, Diana had forgotten almost everything about Batman, other than his countermeasures. In her anger and pride, she had forgotten those tender moments they had shared with Clark and sometimes just the two of them. How did she let herself forget like that?

But Superman didn't have time to question Diana further because the memory shifted again. Batman was walking around with some device in his hand. He was at Superman's grave while looking at the machine.

Batman suddenly stopped and sighed in frustration.

"Another dead end," he muttered defeated while putting the device in his belt. "I'm beginning to wonder if I might be wrong…"

At that moment Batman looked up at the Superman Memorial. For a second he just stood stiffly staring at it.

"I got some things to say…" Batman started.

Everyone was staring with anticipation. Batman was paying his respects to Superman.

"I should've said them when you were here but…" Batman said before stopping. The League could tell he was trying really hard to keep his voice stiff.

"Despite our differences," Batman stated slowly. "I have nothing but respect for you."

Superman was staring at the scene with his mouth almost hung open. He never saw Bruce like this. So sad, so vulnerable. So, human.

"I hope you knew…"

Batman's voice had cracked slightly and the League saw the brief glimpse of grief flash across his face as he looked at the ground.

"…know that," Batman said, still in denial that his best friend was dead.

Superman could not help but smile a little even though it was a somber scene. Of course Bruce would still be too stubborn to think he was wrong yet.

Batman was not done yet, even though he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

"You showed me that justice doesn't always have to come from the darkness. I'll miss…"

Unfortunately Batman didn't get to finish his good-bye because an explosion had happened in the background. Batman sighed with annoyance.

"What did you call it Clark? The never ending battle?"

The memory ceased at that moment. They saw what they all needed to be seen. They had seen it with their own eyes.

Batman was inspired by Superman. Superman gave Batman hope.

Terry walked up to a still half-stunned Superman and patted him on the back.

"And that is why you are the best choice Big Blue. You give hope to a man without it. That is why I love you guys so much."

Superman sighed.

"Bruce…why?" he said out loud. Why did Bruce have to be such a loner? This could have made everything easier. If only both he and Bruce were not so stubborn, they could have saved each other from heartache and a broken friendship.

"Come on, let's go," Terry said and took off. The group had no choice but to follow him.

00000

It turned out that Terry was taking them just down the block. Their destination was the LuthCorp building.

Terry walked inside the lobby.

Superman entered unsure, followed by the rest. He never felt easy being around Luthor's headquarters.

As if sensing his nervousness, Terry laughed.

"Don't worry Supes, there is no kryptonite here. You definitely are going to need your powers for this one. Just go to Luthor's secret lab in the basement and you will begin your test."

Superman wasn't as assured.

"Why do I definitely need my powers?"

"You'll be fine, come on!" Terry said and forced Superman into the elevator.

Superman looked at the group unsure just as the elevator shut on him, separating himself from his friends.

Diana was nervous.

"What does he have to face?" she asked.

"The monster that is the antithesis of hope!" Terry said excitedly. "Supes is going to kick its ass!"

For some reason, the group didn't share his optimism.

0000000

Superman felt his nerves rising. Knowing Bruce, this test probably wasn't an easy one. If anything it would probably cost him everything.

The elevator opened and Superman quietly entered the laboratory.

It was just like how he remembered it. Bruce really did have a photographic and meticulous memory.

But something was different. For starters there was a big hole in the wall across the elevator.

With his superspeed, Superman rushed over to the wall to examine it. Whoever or whatever made it was definitely big. There was something familiar about the shape it made.

Superman looked around. Where was the thing?

His senses picked something up. Something big was coming along. Slowly and menacingly. It was like the scene in a monster movie before the big monster showed up. Superman could feel the vibrating ground.

This thing was getting closer and his superhearing was picking up a wild heartbeat. The thing was angry.

Superman took a deep breath. He needed to get a hold of himself. He was Superman; he had faced tough foes before. He could handle it.

As if responding to his challenge, another wall was broken down by the emergence of something huge. Something really, really big.

Superman immediately recognized his foe.

"Hello Superman," the foe grinned menacingly.

And at that moment, Superman did something he never did. Something he always tried to avoid no matter what, even when in the heat of battle.

He had cursed.

"Shit!" the Boy Scout cried as his foe began to charge violently at him.

**Who or what is challenging enough to make even Superman curse?**


	28. Truth, Justice, American Way

No one had said anything quietly for a while. It seemed like ages since Superman had left them to face his challenge.

The world around them was silent. Although Superman was floors way below them, it still seemed odd they hadn't picked up any sound yet.

Lobo gave an exaggerated yawn.

"Once again, ya dweebs have found a way to make a fight dull," whined Lobo. He was tired of all this bullshit. Oh if only he had his bike right now. As soon as he paid that geek Destiny for insulting it. Lobo didn't give a shit about insults towards him, but insulting his bike, that was crossing the line.

Finally Diana's superhearing picked something up. It was faint, but she heard it alright. It was the sound of a big fight.

Diana could hear much groaning and punching going on below her. Whoever Superman was fighting was putting up a big challenge.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going down," she said.

Shayera grabbed her by the arm.

"You can't Diana. He needs to complete the test himself. Don't worry, Clark's going to have that moment we all had where it looks bleak and you finally understand something about Batman and you pass the test. He'll be back in no time."

Flash however was curious. What the hell was taken Superman so long?

"What's Supes facing?" Flash asked. "Is it a foe he fought before?"

"Oh yea you betcha," Terry said. "This is going to be the fight of the century."

John was annoyed.

"Why can't you just tell us?" he asked. He was tired of the mystery.

"Fine," muttered Terry. "You're no fun. Superman has to beat-"

CRASH!

Superman went flying upward through the bottom of the floor. Something had thrown him up there. That something then jumped from the basement, through the hole he had just made by throwing Superman. It landed in the lobby with a thud, his white eyes glaring at Superman who was still trying to recover from the blow.

"-Doomsday," Terry finished.

Doomsday like bull charged at Superman. Superman managed to get out of the way just in time for Doomsday to run through the wall.

Diana knew Superman was in trouble. Last time Clark needed her and a volcano to defeat him.

Doomsday recovered and walked out threateningly to his foe. Superman got in a fighting stance. He was bruised and had a few cuts on his face. His hair was a mess, but still his eyes showed determination. He still had a lot of fight in him.

"An audience has gathered to watch you be crushed," Doomsday taunted.

Superman was not fazed and in an act of defiance, beckoned Doomsday to come right at him.

Annoyed and enraged by the slight, Doomsday charged. Superman flew in the air at the last minute, missing Doomsday by inches before somersaulting in the air and punching the monster in the back with so much force, the two combatants crashed out of the building into the streets of Metropolis.

The group like spectators quickly exited the building. To their surprise there was no sign of Doomsday or Superman except the damage the two had caused. The street was torn up.

But they could hear the fight; it was probably a block away.

Terry flew up into the air and the group followed. They needed to get to higher ground to watch. The group stood on top of the roof of LuthCorp, they could see everything for miles. Including Superman and Doomsday who delivering punches at each other a few streets away.

"Come on Supes," Wally said nervously. Doomsday appeared to be stronger than Superman since they last had fought.

Superman managed to get an uppercut through, sending the behemoth across the street. However it didn't take long for Doomsday to recover and he was back on his feet. Doomsday grabbed a park car and threw it at Superman. Usually Superman would easily be able to dodge it, but his reflexes and stamina had been weakened. The car hit its target with full force.

Diana could hear Superman grunt from the impact.

Diana made to take off, but she found J'onn and Shayera restraining her.

"How can you sit beside and watch him get killed?" she asked. She couldn't take it anymore. She was already too late for Bruce, she was not going to stand by and let Clark get himself killed too.

"Diana he needs…"

"Who cares!" she shouted and broke free. "He can't win by himself!"

She was about to fly off, but Terry grabbed her. His grip was surprisingly strong.

Diana looked at Terry and gave him a threatening look. She could easily break his hold. However, something about his childlike smile seemed to soften her fears. She submitted and relaxed.

Terry didn't let go though. Diana had a feeling he wasn't going to let go until the fight was over. And hopefully it was soon, because Superman looked like he didn't have much life left in him.

Doomsday walked up to a dazed Superman who was buried under two cars.

"You can't beat me Superman. With every blow you throw, I become stronger. I heal quickly. You are powerless without the sun or your friends to help against me."

Superman grunted as he struggled to free himself. Doomsday was right, he had a point. He was giving all he got and getting worn out whereas Doomsday did not seem injured at all.

It was time for a plan. Thank goodness this Metropolis actually had no people.

Superman broke free and flew high into the air. Doomsday laughed.

"Come back and get me you coward!" he taunted.

Superman flew straight back down, but he didn't stop, he broke through the concrete sidewalk with enough force it caused the ground to shake. Doomsday was off balance for a moment but soon found his feet. He then laughed tauntingly.

"What did that accomplish?" he asked as he made away to the recent hole Superman had made while he dived into the ground.

However just as the monster was within a few yards of the hole, the ground started to tremble again more violently. The epicenter was at the Daily Planet building that was a few yards behind Doomsday.

Doomsday looked up in surprise to see the building was shaking violently. All of a sudden like a rocket, it began to lift off in the air. The building and its own foundations were rising, with Superman at the very bottom.

Superman had lifted the entire Daily Planet from the ground.

"You know," grunted Superman as he was straining himself. "A part of me has always wanted to do this when I was really stressed out at work."

And before Doomsday could react, Superman threw the entire building over him. Doomsday did not have time to react. The base of the building landed, crushing him. The impact had caused the entire street to collapse sending the building even further down.

But that wasn't he end. When the building finally stopped dropping into the ground, it had begun to collapse on itself. For a minute Superman just watch at the destruction he caused. The Planet had collapsed. Only the globe on the roof remained relatively unscathed and was on top of the rubble, rising just above the street.

Superman descended down to examine the ruins. His super senses weren't picking up on anything. It seemed he finally had won.

But of course, it was never too easy.

The globe began to rumble and shake violently.

"Aw come on," Superman muttered.

The globe went flying off the rubble to reveal a very angry Doomsday. The monster had pieces of rubble sticking out of him all over his body. One of his arms looked out of place, as if it had been dislocated. At least Superman had made a dent.

Doomsday grabbed his arm, and forced it back into his socket with a loud crunch. Doomsday gave such a loud roar in pain that Superman had to cover his ears.

As Superman keeled over the bloodcurdling sound, Doomsday then flexed his powerful muscles.

Every piece of glass and rubble popped out of him, the cuts they had left were healing instantly.

"I'm unstoppable!" roared Doomsday and he picked up the globe and threw it over a kneeling Superman.

Superman groaned as the globe crushed him. Doomsday with manic delight jumped on top of it, in attempt to put more pressure on the Kryptonian.

Diana was watching the fight. There seemed to be no way out. She had to do something. As if sensing her thoughts, she felts something wrap around her wrists.

Diana turned in shock to find John had used his ring to place handcuffs on Diana. He had also restrained her feet as well.

Diana gave John a threatening look.

"John…let…me…go…"

"It's for your own good," Shayera snapped, tapping the mace in her hand. "Please don't make me have to knock you out!"

"How can you all sit there? Do you remember when both of you were each tested, the other one was practically trying to fight their way in to help."

"We were Diana, but we both had all of you to restrain us. Now we're returning the favor. This is something Superman must do," Shayera said in a command voice, but her eyes showed calm understanding and pity.

Defeated Diana sighed. However, the group was so distracted by the possibility of Diana descending to save her best friend they hadn't noticed someone else had dropped down.

"Lobo! Get back here!" Dick called when he realized the Czarnian had managed to begin climbing his way down the LuthCorp building while everyone else was distracted with Diana.

"I'm sick and tired of just sittin' around lettin' everyone else get in on the action! Besides! Supes look like he can use some help!"

And before anyone could say anything, Lobo had jumped the rest for his descent. He stuck his landing with a thud.

"Hold on Supes! The Main Man's comin'!"

000000

Superman felt like he was about to blackout, his eyes were barely open. He could feel Doomsday was stomping closer to him.

His mind racing. There had to be a way to beat the monster, there had to be. He needed what Shayera and the others had during their test. A sudden realization. But nothing was coming to him.

How do you have hope against a foe you simply cannot beat?

Superman felt the globe thrown off him. He was so sore he could barely move.

"It's a shame really," Doomsday remarked. "I was hoping you would go down in the air, not on the ground beneath my feet."

"Eat ion you fraggin' bastiche!" a voice called. A blast was shot at Doomsday knocking the monster off his feet.

Superman to his surprise looked to see that it was Lobo who came to his aid out of all people.

"Lobo?" Superman asked confused.

"Don't think I'm goin' soft on ya, I'm just fraggin' bored watchin' you get your ass kicked," Lobo muttered.

However as superman got to his feet so did Doomsday, who was glaring at Lobo with angry eyes.

"Fragger…" Lobo muttered. Doomsday was a lot bigger in person.

"You are not the one being tested," the monster remarked. Before Superman or Lobo could react, a force of blue light shot out of Doomsday at Lobo, sending the Czarnian flying.

"This is why I never help!" Lobo complained as he was flown clear across town.

J'onn went after where they saw Lobo land to recover him. Terry meanwhile looked at the rest of the group.

"That's why you don't interfere…" he warned.

00000

Superman was enraged by what happen. Even Lobo had come to his rescue. But why? Why Lobo?

Then a sudden realization hit Clark Kent. He knew how to beat the monster. Or so he hoped.

Superman got to his feet and flew at Doomsday, who was still watching Lobo fly away in the distance.

The attack took Doomsday by surprise and he was knocked off his feet.

"You still have some fight in you. Good," the monster remarked with hints of sadistic enjoyment.

He sprang up to his feet and pulled Superman in a crushing bear hug.

Superman could feel his body cracking under the shear amount of force.

"Don't try to resist, you are done," the monster remarked. "And don't try to shoot your lasers in my brain. Same trick can't work twice."

"I…wouldn't…dream…of…it," Superman gasped between pained breaths while still having the defiant Boy Scout grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" Doomsday demanded, squeezing tighter. Superman still refused to give in and kept on smiling.

"I'm just imaging the look on your face when you are beaten," Superman taunted.

Enraged Doomsday threw Superman to a wall behind him.

"You cannot defeat me Superman! I am Doomsday! I am your executioner!"

"And I have something that you can't take," Superman said, as he struggled to get to his feet. He managed to get up into a position where he had one knee down, and the other up. He was keeling over coughing up blood.

"I have hope."

Doomsday laughed.

"You think hope is going to get you anywhere? You can't beat me."

"Hope isn't a weapon. It's an idea, a purpose. Something you can't destroy. I have hope that I will find a way to beat you. I have faith that I will succeed."

Doomsday walked up enraged and grasped Superman by the neck with one gigantic hand.

"I will enjoy squeezing the life out of you when your eyes finally show your acceptance of the reality that I will not be stopped."

Superman, in a sudden burst of energy, aimed a good kick at Doomsday's abdomen, causing the monster to grunt, and slightly loosen his grip. Superman took advantage and broke free.

"But you see the hope doesn't stop there. I don't just have faith in my abilities, but my friends as well. If I can even inspire Lobo to come out and fight you, I have faith that even if I'm defeated, my friends will pick up the slack and find away to beat you. Hope is stronger when you believe in others as well. That's why Bruce never gave up on us even when we gave up on him. He believed in us."

"Enough talk. It is time for you to die!" roared Doomsday who charged at Superman. Superman did not even bother to defend himself. He was knocked off his feet, and found Doomsday's own foot slowly crushing him.

"But here's the best part," Superman grunted out as Doomsday started twisting his foot on his chest to cause more pain.

"Not only do I have hope in my friends or myself, but I have hope and faith, that my sudden realization will be the reason why I stop you."

"You put a lot of faith into a weak plan," Doomsday cried gleefully as he started stomping on Superman violently.

The group watched in horror as Superman was slowly stomped to death. This couldn't be happening. Superman couldn't be dying.

Terry however had an opposite look from the rest. In fact he was smiling, almost ecstatic.

"Cue the music!" he randomly announced.

"What music?" Wally asked confused by that random outburst.

A sudden trumpet played from nowhere. The League looked around confused, trying to find the source.

Doomsday had stopped his stomping to listen to the music.

"No!" the monster cried.

"Oh yes," Superman said, and with sudden inspiration he got to his feet, his hands were glowing blue.

The music continued into a full fledge symphony. To Wally, it sounded like something John Williams would write. It was like this music was made for Superman. Like his own theme song.

As if sensing the confusion, Terry smiled even more and explained.

"Bruce is actually quite accomplished with music. Sometimes when he is really bored on a stakeout, he composes songs in his head. This song was inspired by Superman."

"Hey look!" Dick shouted pointing to the ground. The group saw that Superman was on his feet, his fists glowing blue which were currently pummeling Doomsday.

"What's going on?" John asked. He never saw Superman have a power like that.

"Superman has understood what hope is. As a reward, the Realm has given him more power to defeat Doomsday."

Superman continued to fight his foe, while the music continued to play in the background. It sounded similar to the Start Wars theme.

"What were you saying about killing me?" Superman said mockingly as he continued to pummel his foe.

Doomsday ignored the taunt and managed to get a good punch in. The monster then tried to flee. Superman however was too quick.

"We are going for a ride," he remarked and carried the squirming monster in the air before slamming both of them onto the street from high altitude. The impact had caused a crater. Superman did not seem to notice and just continued to punch Doomsday with his glowing blue hands.

Doomsday roared in pain and tried to resist.

"You can't stop hope! No matter how hard you try, you can't! It isn't a political promise! It is not a guarantee! It is something worth fighting for! Batman's hope is that one day crime will finally be stopped. Well mine is Truth, Justice and the American Way of Life! I have and still hope that one day there will be a just, free world!" Superman announced before delivering the final blow.

Doomsday roared and threw Superman off of him. However his body was cracking all over the place. Blue light was emanating from the cracks on his body.

Doomsday fell to his knees and shook violently, before he exploded into pure blue light.

The light was so bright, that the entire group on the LuthCorp building had to shield their eyes. Finally when the light went out, all that was left was the crater, minus Superman and Doomsday.

"Kal!" Diana cried and she finally broke free and flew to the crater where they saw Superman moments ago.

She landed in the crater; there was no sign of him.

"No," she whispered. Not him too. She felt a tear strolling down her cheek.

The rest of the group had reached the crater. They had also realized the music had ceased.

John put his arm around Shayera. Dick and Wally bowed their heads. Only Terry seemed undisturbed.

"There he is," Terry said pointing off in the sky.

Everyone immediately looked up.

There was Superman slowly descending towards them. But he looked different. He didn't look tired at all and his wounds were healed. The only thing that did not change was his slightly torn costume.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "When the blue light healed me I just felt like flying around really quickly. I needed a victory lap."

Diana flew up and punched him in the shoulder.

"You are such a jerk," she said happily through tears.

Everyone rushed up to hug the Man of Steel. He was the best choice for this test. Something about him just inspired all of them.

"Look who's back," Shayera said.

The group looked to see J'onn returning with Lob in his arms. J'onn arrived to the group while dropping a pouting Lobo.

"Hey Lobo," Superman teased. "Thanks for your help. You're a good guy."

Lobo glared. "I wasn't trying to help! I just got fraggin' bored up there!"

"Sure," teased Superman.

"I'll frag you to hell then!" Lobo said pulling a pistol out.

"Alright that's enough," Dick spoke. They needed to hurry.

Terry pulled something out of his pocket that was glowing blue. Even though it was glowing blue though, the Emblem was a red cloth. A torn red cloth.

"This is the Emblem of Hope," Terry explained. "When Superman was believed to have perished, Bruce refused to acknowledge that. All he had to give him hope that Superman was still alive was this torn cloth."

Superman took the Emblem and slid it under one of his sleeves. It felt warm and good.

"Now you understand that even Batman has hope. But it is not just in himself but others as well. Hope is not a promise but an idea. An idea that things will get better. Faith in yourself and your friends. Even though Batman fights crime in an endless battle, he even has hope that maybe someday his efforts will not be in vain. That is true hope. Even in the face of adversary and darkness, the light still continues to burn."

The group paused at that remark. Something about this realm just made them feel good. All of them had hope that they would get the last two Emblems on time and save Batman.

Terry clapped his hands and a bus had appeared out of nowhere. It was painted in an odd color. Like a mixture of blue and purple.

"This will take you to the next realm," Terry explained. "This realm and the other two are close knit so you don't have to go outside and worry about Doctor Destiny attacking you again."

"Come on guys," Dick said, taking charge. "Let's go."

The group followed. The last one to board was J'onn. Things seem to have gotten a little better because he didn't feel as shunned before, but still there was an awkward tension between him and the rest.

J'onn looked at Terry as he was about to board the bus.

"Don't hate yourself too much J'onn," Terry comforted. "You understand Bruce more than the rest. That is going to be important for the next test."

"I doubt they will let me get selected after what I did," J'onn said.

Terry just smiled.

"You just got to have faith J'onn."

And with that the Martian boarded the bus which began to take off. Taking them out of Metropolis to the next realm.

**I don't own any of John Williams work or Star Wars. For some reason I just heard that song playing in my head when I wrote this chapter. And I don't care what the people behind _Superman Returns_ thought. You can't take out the American Way from Superman. I think it is obvious which realm is next so who will the manifestation of that realm be?**


	29. Plan B

Doctor Destiny stood outside the Cathedral. Maybe his powers were strong enough for his Plan B to work.

Only one way to find out.

Destiny closed his eyes and stuck out his hand against the Cathedral wall. He already absorbed enough power to be able to break through the defenses but he was not sure if he had yet absorbed enough power to hide himself from being detected in the Cathedral. Well he had waited long enough, only one way to find out.

He created an opening out of the Cathedral wall and glided in.

Using his power he levitated, not daring to touch the ground. The bats had resumed their place all over the Cathedral ground. Good, his powers had evolved. He was able to conceal himself. Batman's defenses had no idea he was in the center.

Destiny glided along the Cathedral, heading to the back. Still the bats did not fly away, signaling he wasn't detected.

He was gliding toward the altar at the back, before he paused to stare at the stain glass windows.

The three on the left were shining bright. Green, Yellow, and Orange. He already knew the Justice League had those Emblems.

There were three windows on the right. Red, Blue, and Indigo. Only the Red shone bright. The Blue and Indigo light also shown, but not as bright as the other four windows.

Doctor Destiny then looked at the stain glass on the wall across from him, behind the altar. It was Violet, and like Blue and Indigo, it was dull compare to the other four lights.

He still had a little time.

Doctor Destiny lifted up his hand and aimed it at the altar.

Sparks of energy shot out of his hand at the altar. Doctor Destiny could hear the faint sound of something almost unlocking.

Almost.

Doctor Destiny sighed annoyed.

His powers were not strong enough to open it yet.

He was about to leave when the Blue window began to show brightly.

Doctor Destiny cursed under his breath. They had just gotten another Emblem. He did not have much time before they arrived.

Hopefully his powers would have advanced enough for him to open the altar before they arrived. It was crucial to his plan.

Defeated, Doctor Destiny glided out of the Cathedral, making sure to seal the hole he made in the wall. There was no way he could leave any signs he was here. The element of surprise was crucial.

00000

The League sat on the bus quietly. Unlike the other times when they sat in silence to reflect on the horrors they saw in the other realms, this was more of an appreciative silence. An appreciation that they were all alive, and close to saving Batman. An appreciation they would win.

Superman's fight had not only won them an Emblem, but their spirit back as well.

Finally Wally decided it was time to speak to J'onn who he was sitting next to.

"So I take it this color is the clue what the next realm is gonna be?"

"Probably," J'onn replied stoically. They were both in the back of the bus, away from the group. Wally always liked to be in the back in the bus because it allowed him to screw around more in school. Old habits do die hard.

But for J'onn, his reasons were different. He still did not feel welcome among the rest and self-imposed himself to exile in the back.

"So what is it then? What color is it? Purplish? Violet?"

"It's indigo," J'onn replied.

"Indigo? That's a color? I thought it was dye."

J'onn sighed with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry, did I say something?"

"Why are you with me Wally?" J'onn asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you sitting with me while the others are keeping their distance?"

Wally shrugged.

"Because you are my friend?"

J'onn sighed.

"You don't have to sit with me because you feel bad Wally. Don't sit with me if you don't want to."

"Why would I not want to sit with you?"

"Because of what I did. What I had to do. I can see it in all of your eyes; you are still frightened of me. You are still disgusted what I did. And I don't blame you."

"That is not true J'onn. Believe it or not I think you made the right call."

J'onn gave Wally a look of surprised.

"I mean personally I wouldn't have done it, but sometimes you have to do stuff like that. Sometimes you have to make the unpopular decision."

"But is it worth it to commit a wrong for the right reasons?"

"I don't know. You can ask Batman when he wakes up," Wally remarked, still having a look of optimism on his face.

He may have been a little shocked and disturbed by what J'onn did but he did not care. J'onn was his friend still. And he needed someone right now.

"Besides J'onn," Wally remarked. "I don't think everyone hates you. After all you even got Dick to trust you to enter the previous Realm."

"How did you know that? You were unconscious?"

"Dick told me. See if you can get Dick to even trust you, I think you are making progress."

"There is a difference between getting someone to like you and getting someone to trust you," J'onn remarked.

A few seats ahead sat John and Shayera.

"So which emotion do you think is next?"

John looked around.

"I would say this color is indigo…"

"It looks more like violet to me."

John shook his head.

"No violet would be a deeper shade. There is still some blue in this color. This is definitely indigo."

"Is there like an Indigo Lantern Corps?"

John shrugged.

"So far there has only been a Green and Yellow and Violet. There are rumors of an Orange one in the Vega System."

"Wait the Star Sapphires, what about them?" Shayera asked confused.

"They are Violet. You know Love?"

Shayera snorted.

"Star Sapphire has tried to kill us, I wouldn't call it love."

"Love makes people do crazy things," John replied back. "Like marrying you."

Shayera punched him the gut.

"You are going to pay for that later Mr. Stewart."

"Oh no Mrs. Stewart, I'm trembling."

Shayera and John laughed. It felt good for them to just relax and flirt with each other again. It reminded them of happier times.

Diana could not help but smile a little at her married friends laughing to each other. They really did love one another. Maybe she would be like that with Tom. It's not like she really had the chance to flirt with anyone before him.

As if to contradict her, her mind replayed images of Steve.

Diana felt bad. How could she forget him? He really was her first love. But still after him, she never really shared any closeness with anyone before Tom.

Bruce didn't count. They were just colleagues, nothing more.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Superman asked Diana. He was sitting next to her.

"I'm just-uh wondering what Realm is next."

"Well my superhearing overheard J'onn saying something about Compassion. Who knows though? We still got Love."

Diana's faced betrayed her by flashing a nervous look.

"Why are you worried?" Superman asked softly, holding her hand tightly.

Diana sighed; she just couldn't lie to him.

"I'm worried that it is going to bring up false feelings again."

"False?"

"That I am going to get false hope again."

Superman smiled. "There is no such thing as false hope."

Diana smirked a little.

"It's not just that."

"Then what?"

Diana looked away. She couldn't look into his eyes when she said the truth.

"I fear I will not be suited for Lo-that Realm. You saw that memory when I told Bruce he would die alone. I destroyed him. I would probably fail the test."

Superman paused. She had a point. That memory did show Bruce was hurt deeply by her warning.

"Well, you might get Compassion. You never know. Dick might go again. He loves Bruce like a father," he said in an attempt to comfort her while placing an arm around her shoulder.

"I thought we couldn't get tested twice."

"I never heard anyone say anything about that. Anything is possible."

Diana smiled slightly. She felt really tired and rested her head on Clark's shoulder.

Lobo and Dick were near the front of the bus. There was no one in the driver seat since the bus seemed to drive itself. Also the windows were blurry. They couldn't see anything outside the bus.

"What's with them?" Lobo said, pointing to Diana and Superman while looking at Dick.

Dick shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me. They are good friends."

"Hey has Supes ever done it with her?"

"What?" Dick asked a little taken aback by the bluntness in that question.

"Ya know, done it. When a guy likes a girl…"

"I know what you mean!" Dick remarked. "And no. Supes has a girlfriend."

"He still dates Lois?"

"Yes. I think they are getting married…wait how do you know about Lois?" Dick asked confused. He never even knew who the hell Lobo was before this mission yet Lobo seemed to know a lot about Superman.

Lobo grinned.

"Supes and I go way back…"

"I thought you guys only met like twice?"

"Please. Meetin' the Main Man once is like meetin' a pipsqueak like ya a million times."

"Thanks for the compliment," Dick replied sarcastically. "Why are you so interested what Superman and Wonder Woman do?"

"They just seem really close. I was just wonderin' if she was taken…"

"She's dating someone and she's not your type, 'Main Man!'" Dick said mockingly.

Lobo glared.

"That's what they all say. But trust me bird boy. Girls like Wonder Babe, they like the bad boys. They like someone like me."

"Sure. Especially after she hears that you call her Wonder Babe. Should I go tell you that's what you want to call her?"

Lobo's eyes showed terror for a second.

"Ya wouldn't…"

"Oh I would. You are forgetting, Batman trained me," Dick replied with a smirk.

Lobo was speechless and stuttered before finding his voice again.

"Alright kid. Ya got spunk, I'll give ya that."

At that moment the bus had pulled to an abrupt stop, sending Lobo off his seat because he had lazily been laying down on it. Dick however was in good posture and did not fall off.

"Well it looks like we are here," Dick announced as he got up and walked over Lobo.

The rest of the group got up and followed. Dick exited the bus into a swirling realm of darkness.

Dick could not see anything. He thought they were not supposed to be outside in the darkness again.

He could hear the others getting out and running into each other due to the perpetual darkness.

Suddenly there was a shriek from Shayera.

"Who touched my breast?" she asked angrily and paranoid.

The response was a crude chuckle from the Czarnian which was silenced by the sound of mace hitting face.

"Ow!" Lobo whined. "I didn't touch ya, ya bas-"

"It was me Shay!" Wally replied guiltily. "I didn't mean to!"

Shayera grumbled and muttered under her breath about killing Wally later.

"John can we use some light?" Superman asked, deciding they should be able to see where they were going before anyone else got hurt.

"I'm trying Supes, but my light does not seem to work here," John said. Which was true. The green light from the ring seemed to have vanished.

"Don't expect it to work here, Master Stewart," said a calm but familiar British voice.

Dick turned around. He knew that voice. It couldn't be…

A light turned on. It was an indigo light. Not too far from the group stood an elderly man in a fine pressed suit. He carried an air of discipline and sincerity, but his face showed much care and concern.

"Alfred?" Dick asked nervously.

"Hello Master Richard," Alfred said happily with his arms open.

Dick ran up to hug the old man which seemed to startle Alfred but only for a moment. Dick did not care if this Alfred was not real. He never had a chance to say goodbye.

"I…missed you," Dick said trying to hold back tears.

Alfred gently patted Dick on the back.

"So which realm are you?" Superman asked. He missed Alfred too, but he understood they needed to hurry.

Dick seemed to remember where he was and he broke the embrace.

"I am the manifestation of Master Bruce's Compassion. And here, is the Realm of Compassion!" Alfred said, opening his arms in dramatic fashion.

The group looked around. They were in what look like a circus tent. Why would a circus tent be Bruce's Realm of Compassion?

Dick was in shock.

"Alfred is this…"

"Your circus Dick. This Realm takes this form because it was the first time Bruce opened his heart and showed true Compassion to someone after he became Batman. When he first became Batman, his heart had hardened. He believed he could not allow himself to be emotional again. Btu then not to long after that, he was at the circus and saw your parents fall to their death in front of you. Not even Bruce's hardened heart could stay cold at a sight like that. The immense compassion and understanding he felt toward you opened his heart and that is why a few weeks later he took you in."

"But why does my ring not work?" John asked confused.

Alfred smile.

"Compassion is the feeling of other's emotions. It is the understanding of the pain and joy other people feel. Your ring is powered by an emotion, but it won't work in this realm because it is being absorbed by all the Compassion around. But I don't mean to disturb you, I mean you know harm. Come follow me."

"Where are we going?" Wally asked unsure.

"To have some tea, and to see the real man beneath the cowl," Alfred explained and continued to walk to another end of the tent without waiting for the others to follow him.

**What memory will they see? What is Doctor Destiny planning?**


	30. Compassion

Wally stood confused with the tea in his hand. They were sitting in the spectator seats for the circus, with Alfred serving the tea.

How can there be tea here?

Wally was tempted to ask but John shot him a look to not waste time asking questions.

However Alfred must have sensed their curiosity.

"Oh the tea is not real. I only serve it because usually that is what Master Bruce saw me do. In fact I am not real either," Alfred explained.

"Alfred," Superman said politely. Even if this was not the real Alfred, Superman could not help but show respect to him like he was the real Alfred.

"We are in a hurry…"

"Oh yes of course Master Kent. Now I suppose why you are wondering why I am Bruce's manifestation of Compassion. Well the reason was Bruce always saw me as the one person who understood him. I was there for him when his parents died, and was still by his side until I died. I was and probably am the only person who ever fully understood him."

Shayera nodded to herself. Even though Alfred had only talked to her for about a minute, he was probably the most compassionate man she ever met.

Superman was about to make a point that they had seen Batman's memories and were starting to get a grasp on Batman as a person but once again, Alfred seemed to have been able to read minds.

"Not even all of you will still fully understand Master Bruce. Sure if you succeed, you will understand him a little more. But still, unless you have watched Master Bruce change from the happy shy boy into the vengeful vigilante, you cannot truly say you fully understand him."

No one, not even Lobo, was able to respond to that remark.

"But do not worry. You are doing a good job here. I know you all still feel self-doubt and lack of confidence, but I know Master Bruce. He picks good friends."

Friends? Diana wasn't sure she and Bruce could be considered friends anymore after everything that had happened. She was still puzzled why she and Clark were good friends with him before the Apocalypse of '09.

Alfred continued to talk.

"But now let us begin. As I said earlier, after an incident of the heart, Master Bruce decided to become Batman and fully forsake a normal happy life. He was afraid to get his heart and emotions crushed; he vowed to never let his heart open like that again."

"Are you talking about his parents?" Dick asked confused. He knew for a fact Bruce became Batman long after that tragedy with his parent.

Alfred smiled.

"Master Bruce was always a stubborn and brave child, before his parents were even killed. I that unfortunate incident never happened, I do believe he would be strong in mainly Willpower. Unfortunately that night when he lost the two people he loved most, the three strong emotions that you saw that he carries with such burden were born. I am of course referring to Fear, Avarice, and Rage. The other three he forgot about."

Shayera knew Alfred had a point. Those three Realms seemed to be the most painful ones for Batman.

"But after an incident of the heart years after his parents' death, Master Bruce decided to completely forgo any emotions that could possibly make him happy, especially the other three. He thought those types of emotions, like Hope or Compassion, made him weaker. A part of him still does as you can tell."

Superman did know what Alfred meant. Whenever Batman got defensive, he was not exactly a hopeful, caring, loving man. Usually they saw more of the Bat rather than the human being.

"What is this incident of the heart?" Diana asked curiously.

"You will find out later. But after seeing Master Richard received a fate similar to himself, Master Bruce could not in good conscience keep those walls up and thus the development of his Compassion begin."

As Alfred spoke, the circus ring behind him began to come to life. There were two figures in it.

One was a little boy while the other was a kneeling man.

Diana recognized that the young boy and man. It was Bruce and a young Dick. She never saw Bruce that young.

The group could tell the young Dick was scared and on the verge of crying as Bruce tried to comfort him.

"Easy…" Bruce said in a comforting voice. A voice they almost never heard him use.

"You have to take it a day at a time. But for however long it takes, you will always have a home with us…" Bruce said.

Diana could not help but smile at the image. After everything, Bruce was still a caring soul.

The adult Dick watching this was trying to fight back the tears. He had almost forgotten that memory but now it was all coming back to him. He remembered he felt like he was on the verge of crying but Bruce managed to calm him down. It had been the first time in his life after the death of his parents that he felt secure. Safe.

Alfred smiled at Dick.

"Master Bruce's biggest flaw was he didn't show how much he cared. If he did, maybe things would have turned out different…"

As Alfred spoke, the scene before him shifted. Bruce was now older, older than they had seen him. Alfred was also older than they had ever seen him, but he was on a hospital bed. The group could tell Bruce was trying to not cry.

"What is this?" John asked.

"It's the night before I died," Alfred said nonchalantly.

The dying Alfred was smiling in contrast to the worried look on Bruce's face.

"It's okay Master Bruce. I am ready to go."

"Don't say that Alfred!" Bruce practically begged. "There has to be a way. I called Leslie, she should be coming over."

"Bruce," Alfred said gently, touching his face. That caused Bruce to calm down but give Alfred a questioning look. Alfred never was that informal.

"You have been like a son to me. You are my son. I am proud of you…"

Bruce turned away in shame.

"Don't be Alfred. I'm a failure. Tim may have healed, but he hates me. Barbara, she won't even speak to me. And Dick. He can't even stand to be in the same city as me. I doubt this is what my parents would have wanted."

Alfred chuckled causing Bruce to look at him.

"Bruce you are right. They would not want you to be alone like this. But it is not the end. You still have time. I believe you will make your peace with the rest of the Batclan. Also I believe the day will come where you return to your friends on the Justice League…"

Bruce's face showed pain.

"They don't want me and they shouldn't…"

"Nonsense!" cried Alfred even though he was on the verge of dying.

"Alfred. It took me a while, but I always knew I was going to end up alone. I guess that is why I am not ready to let you go yet."

"Bruce…" Alfred said weakly that most of the group without superhearing almost did not pick up. Bruce leaned in closer to hear what Alfred was saying with his dying breath.

"Remember….you are never alone…"

And with that Alfred had collapsed on the hospital bed. Before the group could see what happened next, the memory had faded and they were staring at an empty circus ring again.

"As you can see, Master Bruce does care," the Alfred that had been sitting next to them explained. "He just always thought he was supposed to be alone so…"

"…he pushed everyone away," Dick finished the statement.

Alfred nodded.

"But even he could not completely suppress his own Compassion," Alfred continued.

The circus ring began to swirl as a memory was being played out again.

"What are you showing us?" Wally asked curiously.

"Perhaps the most Compassion Master Bruce ever showed as Batman. That is right, even under the rough exterior of the Dark Knight he still had some humanity left."

The memory revealed Batman and Shayera standing outside with a few heroes. They were talking to Amanda Waller.

"Shayera?" John asked confused.

Shayera just sighed softly.

"This is why I always believed Batman still cared and why I was telling you we should let him back in," Shayera explained. "I saw the real side to Batman that day."

Superman was able to guess the pretense of what had happened. Amanda Waller was saying they needed to kill Ace, the deadly psychic they had encountered before.

Shayera made to grab the weapon that Waller had presented but Batman stopped her and took it himself.

The group was looking at Shayera with questioning looks.

Shayera sighed.

"I killed Grundy once. I probably would have done it to Ace without hesitation," she said, trying to not sob or bow in shame.

However no one was giving her disgusted looks. They understood this was a difficult decision. John was comforting his wife while the rest of the group resumed watching the memory. They needed to see what Batman did.

Dick was feeling a little nervous. He did not want to see Batman break his one rule.

Batman grabbed the weapon as Waller expressed the importance of the mission. The only way to stop Ace was to kill her before she had died and cause a psychic backlash that killed everyone.

Batman gave a cold indifferent look before taking off sprinting.

The group was holding their breath. They were not sure what would happen next.

The memory seemed to have fast forward. Batman was now in what looked like a garden, in sharp contrast to the seriousness of the scene.

"Batman?" a child like voice called.

Batman turned to see that Ace, his target, was on a swing set swinging gently.

"Ace," Batman stated coldly and made his way to the swing set, towards his target.

J'onn could not help sighing. He understood Batman's predicament.

"Did you like playing with my new Royal Flush Gang?' Ace asked, somewhat threateningly.

"Can't say that I did," Batman said calmly as he watched Ace swinging back and forth.

Diana could not help but marvel the nerves of steel he had.

"Yeah, they aren't any fun at all," Ace complained. It was hard for the group to believe this young girl was a dangerous threat. She still seemed to be an innocent child.

"I gave them their powers and they still hardly played with me," Ace said, her eyes showing hints of buried rage.

"Can't imagine why," Batman said in his usual stone cold sarcasm. How could he keep his emotions suppressed like that?

Wally was confused. He thought this was supposed to be Compassion. Why were they showing Batman killing someone and showing no remorse? He was tempted to look away.

"Those little Cadmusers used to make me play all kinds of games," Ace said her temper rising. In the background it sounded like a storm was forming to match her anger. "They weren't any fun either. They would strap me into their machines, hook wires into my brain."

Ace's eyes were showing anger. Gone was the childlike innocence. It was replaced with nothing but pure rage.

"Ace can you move this object with your mind?" Ace mimicked. A tree violently flew up next to her. Batman looked up but still seemed undisturbed.

"Yeah, I can move it," Ace said, her voice softening as the surroundings around her calmed down. "They weren't fun games you know. They were training me. Training me for a weapon of justice they said."

At that Ace stopped swinging and kicked the ground in frustration.

"They got their weapon; I got cheated out of my childhood."

At that remark, Batman's cold glare seemed to have softened.

"I know what that's like," Batman said softly and sympathetically.

Ace looked at Batman softly. She seemed to understand what he meant.

"You do don't you?" she asked, somewhat hopeful she had found a kindred spirit.

Batman had returned to a stone cold glare. Ace however seemed to have seen through it.

"You don't have to answer. I read your mind. That's how I knew you weren't going to use Mrs. Waller's weapon on me," Ace said, smirking slightly.

Batman unbuckled his belt and tossed the weapon to the ground. "No, I wasn't."

The group was in shock. Batman, the most paranoid, distrusting man, had just thrown his only chance of saving himself away. He never showed that much trust to anyone like that.

Diana was trying to fight back the tears. How could she not think he was a good man? After everything this was probably one of the bravest and most caring things he had done.

"You're going to try to talk me into fixing what I have changed," Ace said, a little disappointed now.

Superman was slightly shocked. Since when was Batman about talking instead of action?

"Before I die," Ace said slightly sad upon realization what was happening to her.

"Yes," Batman said. His exterior may still have been cold, but they could tell his voice was softer than usual. He was sad what was happening to her.

"I'm dying very soon," Ace remarked.

"Yes," Batman answered even though it wasn't really a question. "I'm sorry."

Dick knew he meant it. He really was truly sorry for everything that was happening.

Ace started to cry. She was scared now. The childlike innocence had returned.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked a little unsure. "I'm scared."

Half of the group believed Batman would back away. He was never good at emotional moments like this.

To their surprise though, Batman instead walked over and sat in the swing next to Ace. He gave a sympathetic look as he offered his hand to the dying psychic. She took it and they could tell it made her feel better.

The memory flashed forward again. Batman was now walking, carrying something in his arms. The group quickly saw it was Ace. Batman's face was of one of great sorrow. They could tell he was trying hard not to cry.

"He had talked her into undoing everything," Alfred explained. The group was startled. They forgot he was there with them.

"And he stayed with her until she had passed away," Alfred said as the memory ended.

Everyone had tears in their eyes after that scene. How could they not?

"Lobo? Are you crying?" Flash asked.

"No I'm not!" Lobo yelled and quickly turned away.

Superman could not even help but to let out a chuckle. Leave it to Bruce to get Lobo to cry.

Diana now understood why she and Superman were friends with Bruce. Before the Apocalypse of '09, he may have been rough, but she and Clark had managed to see the true person beneath the cold exterior. They saw the caring soul underneath it all. How did she forget that?

John now understood why his wife was always angry when he referred to Batman as a heartless monster. How can you call him heartless after seeing what he did for Ace?

Shayera didn't care if she was sobbing in her husband's arms. When she first saw Batman coming out with Ace in his arms, she thought he had killed her. But she had seen the look on his face. She knew he didn't. He couldn't.

Alfred let the group to continue to cry for a few minutes before speaking.

"Now you understand. It is the biggest irony of them all. Batman acts like he is a soulless monster, but in reality, he is probably the most caring and compassionate man there ever was."

No one could respond to that.

"Which is why I ask when you succeed this mission, do not give up on him. I know Master Bruce can be stubborn and he will try to push you all away, but after everything you saw, please try to reach him, and bring out that caring soul underneath the cowl. You are the only chance of saving his soul," Alfred said.

Superman understood. He was definitely not going to give up on Bruce again. Even if he would have to face through kryptonite and whatever other defenses Bruce had, Superman was going to get him to come out of the darkness.

"Well, now it is time for the test!"

Diana looked at Superman who gave her an encouraging look. If she wanted to get tested before the next realm, now was the time to do it.

She slowly got up.

Some members of the group were nodding with agreement. Diana was a very compassionate person. She had shown much understanding and compassion to people, even her enemies. It was what everyone admired about her.

"I am sorry Princess Diana," Alfred said with much regret, "But this is not your place to be tested…"

"What?" Diana asked. She really did not want have to be tested in the next realm.

"Are you sure?" Dick asked. "If there is anyone who has the most Compassion it's her Alfred."

Alfred smiled softly.

"I'm sorry Master Richard, but you are wrong. There is one person among you who has always showed much more Compassion than all of you together. He has lived with such pain and misery, but he still always put your considerations and emotions first. The sort of person who was willing to ensure everyone else's happiness but his own."

"Who?" Superman asked.

J'onn sighed, there was no escaping this.

"He means me, Superman," the Martian said standing up.

"You?" Dick asked angrily. "Do you know what he did Alfred? He killed Bruce!"

J'onn sighed and closed his eyes. He had expected that.

"Did he now?" Alfred asked. "Well Master Richard, did you ever consider why he did what he did? Did you ever consider there was a reason besides the greater good?"

Dick did not respond.

"Why don't you tell them Master J'onnz?" Alfred asked.

J'onn sighed. There was no way they would believe him.

"In my attempt to try to root Doctor Destiny out telepathically, I caught glimpses of Batman's thoughts and beliefs. I had seen enough to know that if Batman was aware of what was happening he would not want to be kept alive if it meant allowing a monster like Doctor Destiny becoming free. He would have ordered for us to pull the plug on him if we could. I was respecting his wishes when I did that. However I still could not in good conscience give up on him which is why I was willing to give this mission a chance. Please, understand I did not put Batman's life on the clock because I did not have faith in our plan, but rather as a Fail Safe because I understood if we failed, Batman deserved that we follow his wishes and ensure that Doctor Destiny would never be allowed to hurt people again."

The group just stared in silence at J'onn. He had a point. That was something Batman would do. Have a backup plan to ensure that the greater good was achieved. Even if it came at the cost of his own life.

"I…I understand if you do not want me anymore after this. All I ask is please, let me be tested, so we can still give Batman a fighting chance," J'onn pleaded.

Dick was still glaring at J'onn but he could not feel as much anger like he did before. He now understood J'onn a little better. J'onn was not being a heartless basturd, but instead trying to respect Batman.

Superman walked up to J'onn. J'onn stood stiff, awaiting his fate.

"You aren't going anywhere J'onn," Superman said softly as he patted J'onn on the shoulder. "After this mission, we are going to need all six of us to help Bruce when he wakes up. No good if we are still fighting among ourselves."

The League seemed to agree with Superman's sentiments and all the founders were giving J'onn comforting looks.

They may have disagreed with his methods, but they knew his intentions were in the right place, just like Batman.

J'onn could not help but smile a little. He then made his way to Alfred.

"I am ready," he said, looking down at Alfred who was shorter than him.

"Splendid!" Alfred said. "Let us begin then!"


	31. Bearing the Pain

J'onn was led to the circus ring by Alfred.

"What am I fighting?" The Martian asked curiously.

Alfred smiled.

"You aren't fighting anything Master J'onnz. You instead will be feeling the pain."

"The pain?" J'onn asked a little nervously.

Alfred sighed.

"To really be considered Compassionate, one has to feel the emotions of others, especially the pain. You of all people should know that."

J'onn nodded nervously. It still seemed too easy.

"Is that it?" J'onn asked unsure.

Alfred paused.

"Some of us will be trying to convince you to give up while some of us will try to convince you to continue. It will be painful," Alfred warned, before stepping out of the circle. Before J'onn could ask any more questions, Alfred had disappeared.

J'onn sighed and looked to the stands. The rest of the group was watching him with nervous anticipation. Wally was giving J'onn the thumbs up.

J'onn then began to feel something. He was feeling something he had usually been able to keep at bay. A feeling of depression. A feeling of loss. Of hopelessness.

Why should he even live anymore? What was the point? Nothing mattered. His family was dead. All dead. And nothing he could do would change that.

J'onn quickly understood what was happening. He was feeling Batman's own feelings of depression. He was experiencing Batman's grief. The feelings Batman would feel when he was alone. J'onn caught glimpses of it when Batman was in a really reflective mood, but he never expected it to be this full blown. How did Batman never commit suicide living with this?

But the worst part of this experience was the feelings J'onn was feeling were starting to use his own memories to his advantage.

He was an outcast from his friends. They didn't trust him anymore. He was an outcast from society. No one wanted him. He should have stayed on Mars to die. If only he could die right now. It would be so much easier. His wife and children were gone. His second wife, dead. Death's embrace would be a relief.

Diana could tell J'onn was in pain. A part of her was glad she didn't have to experience that now.

Superman was growing tense, he never seen J'onn like that before. J'onn was usually very calm and poised, not writhing around like a pitiful animal.

J'onn remembered what he saw in the Black Mercy. Why couldn't he stay in there and live his remaining days in happiness? Why did fate have to torture him?

He suddenly felt a presence to his left.

J'onn looked up to find he was staring at the Playboy they saw in the Realm of Avarice.

"Why do you let yourself suffer anymore? Give up! Everyone dies eventually! Might as well do enjoy the few things you have left!"

J'onn paused. The Playboy was right. When was the last time he did something for himself? Why should he have to put himself through so much pain?

"Do not listen to him!" barked an old voice. J'onn looked to his other side and saw the Old Man from the Realm of Willpower glaring at the Playboy.

"Never give up J'onn! It is never about being happy! It is for the greater good!"

That was true. He couldn't give up while others were counting on him, even if it meant forsaking his own personal happiness. J'onn tried to get up defiantly.

The Playboy and the Old Man disappeared, leaving J'onn alone, like he always was. He always will be alone.

J'onn then felt even more depressed. If only he had a gun he could end his misery of isolation.

As if answering his call a gun had materialize out of nowhere. J'onn quickly picked it up.

"What's he doing?" Dick asked alarmed. He forgot any lingering feelings of hatred towards J'onn and was genuinely concerned.

"A gun can't kill him, can it?" John asked a little worried.

J'onn put the gun to his head. He just needed to pull the trigger and he would finally get the sweet relief he so justly deserved. Just one little pull and it would all be over.

He felt another presence behind him. To his left stood the Bat.

"What are you waiting for?" hissed the Bat. "I know you are scared. Scared what pain will come next, scared that you will be rejected by your friends once you have lived up your usefulness. I know you fear the truth that you are always alone. It is okay. I know you are afraid. This will end that fear. You won't have to face it."

"It doesn't matter if there is fear!" Terry rebuked as he appeared to J'onn's right. "You just got to have faith J'onn! Have faith that things will get better! That the day will come and your efforts will be rewarded!"

J'onn paused. Was that what got Bruce through the day when he dealt with these feelings of depression and borderline suicide? That there is still a silver lining somewhere?

Shayera was a little nervous watching this. J'onn was by himself in the ring but he seemed to be hallucinating. It looked like he was talking to some disembodied voices. That was all they needed was for J'onn to lose his mind.

J'onn looked at the gun in his hand and trembled.

The temptation to use it was awful. He was afraid what tomorrow would bring. Superman may have said they would accept him but somehow he didn't believe it. They would cast him out and he would be all alone again.

Oh what was the point of living when he was all alone?

J'onn put the gun to his head.

Superman moved to get up.

Diana pulled him back down.

"Sit down Clark. J'onn needs to win this."

J'onn was about to pull the trigger when he heard the encouraging words of Terry again.

"I know you J'onn! You didn't wait on Mars all those years by yourself for nothing. You hoped it would be for a better tomorrow!"

J'onn sighed and dropped the gun. It disappeared when it touched the ground. It was over, it had to be over. The Bat and Terry were gone.

"Why do you trouble yourself?" boomed the voice of Andrea. She was on his left and she had her mask on.

"They rejected you like an outcast! You are more powerful than all of them! You should stand up for yourself!"

And J'onn was starting to feel something he had kept suppressed for a long time. Anger.

Angry at what happened to his planet, angry what happened to his second wife, angry that after everything he did the world was still terrified of him, but most of all angry at his friends.

Why did they not understand? They were fools!

He should get back at them by refusing to finish his test. They would deserve it. He was more powerful than them. Why should he be reduced to just an advisory role?

But then the soothing voice of Alfred was heard.

"Remember Master J'onnz. It is not about you but about them. It never was."

J'onn paused. What Alfred said was true. He joined the Justice League not for himself but to help others. It was never about him or his happiness. His happiness he thought died the day his planet fell.

But instead he was wrong. He had found happiness in something else. He found happiness in that others were happy. Sure in the short term it did pain him that he put his own happiness second to others, but the long term, it was worth it to see all his friends be happy.

And at that moment a spark hit J'onn. An understanding. He and Bruce were not so different.

They were both outcasts and had suffered great loss, yet they both carried the burden. The burden of Compassion.

J'onn stood up; he was going to win this. The ground had started to shake in response to his growing inspiration.

"Compassion isn't about me," he announced to the Bat, Andrea, and the Playboy who were standing on his left side.

"It's a burden. My cross to bear!"

The Playboy faded away. J'onn was winning.

"Why did Batman let his guard down with Ace? Why, if he is such a paranoid man would he do that? Because he understood that understanding is what makes Compassion. And Compassion is what makes friendship and trust!"

The Bat disappeared at that remark.

J'onn then stared at Andrea.

"And it doesn't matter whether people hate me or not! I will still care about them no matter what because I understand them! You can't even attempt to hate a person until you fully understand them!"

And with that Andrea disappeared as well. The ground had stopped shaking.

J'onn looked around; he was alone in the ring again.

He thought he heard some sighs of relief.

Turning around, J'onn saw the group was in the stands, most of them showing relief that he was alive and had made it. They had cared.

Alfred had reappeared right beside the Martian.

"Well done, Master J'onnz! Well done! You understand that Compassion is not about being happy, but bearing the pain of others. It is sharing the pain and emotions for other people."

The group all got out of the stands to greet J'onn. They heard what he had said and they felt bad for almost ostracizing him. After everything they had did, he still cared about him.

Superman pulled the Martian in an embrace. Diana joined in as well.

John and Shayera were patting him on the back.

J'onn was on the verge of tears how his friends had fully forgiven him and were showing they cared for him too.

J'onn then noticed someone else. It was Dick whose face remained stiff and unreadable. He looked uncomfortable.

"I should still be mad at you…" he hissed as J'onn sighed. He understood why Dick would never forgive him.

"…but I figure if you were willing to put yourself through that much pain for Bruce, I can't do it anymore."

And with that Dick offered a hand to shake which J'onn eagerly accepted.

"The best part of this Realm," Alfred remarked as he watch all the displays of affection, "Is it seems to be shared all around."

J'onn smiled and then realized they had only one realm left an about a day and a half.

"We need to get going Alfred," he said hurriedly.

"Of course," Alfred said before pulling out a handkerchief out of his pocket. It was glowing indigo.

"This is the Emblem of Compassion. The night after Master Bruce's parents died, all I could offer to comfort him was this to cry in. It was the first time he realized what Compassion was. Take it with you," Alfred said as he passed the handkerchief to J'onn.

"Terry said something about this being connected to the next Realm?"

"Ah yes of course Master Kent," Alfred said before snapping his fingers. Out of nowhere, a line of roller coaster cars had appeared. They were glowing violet.

Wally gave Alfred a questioning look.

"The next Realm takes the form of a theme park," Alfred explained. "This cart will take you to the last, and perhaps most secret Realm of Master Bruce's heart. He has buried this emotion the deepest from all the rest."

The roller coaster was starting to shake, signaling it was time to go.

Nervously the group all got in to a cart with someone else except Lobo who took up a whole cart due to his hulking frame.

J'onn and Superman were up front, with Wally and Dick behind them. Lobo was awkwardly sitting in the middle cart by himself with John and Shayera behind him. That left the last cart free.

"Diana?" Superman asked sympathetically. "We got to get going."

"Yes, of course," Diana replied nervously as she got in the last cart. The metal bar slammed tight on her knees. It felt cold.

But it wasn't the discomfort of the roller coaster car that was making Diana nervous.

They were going somewhere she didn't want to go. She didn't want to get any more false hope. She didn't want to see, what Bruce loved. She didn't want to get her heart broken or have to once again get her feelings for Tom questioned.

Alfred smiled and wished the group luck as the violet glowing roller coaster began to take them out of the tent to their next destination. As soon as it went out of the tent, the rollercoaster, bucked downward and they found themselves on tracks that were going through an underground tunnel.

A tunnel that seemed to go on for miles underground.

They were on their way to the Realm of Love.

**Who is the last manifestation? It probably will be someone you had not expected or hoped for. Also, what the hell is going on in Gotham at this time?**


	32. Birds of Prey

_Gotham City_

Barbara sat at the batcomputer. She was communicating in a three way call between herself, Huntress, and Black Canary.

"How did that riot in downtown work out?" Barbara demanded.

"The police and I were able to quell it down. Still didn't find the punk who started it," Helena said, slightly angry.

"Try to see if you can find any leads. Give it an hour before heading over to the north end," Barbara ordered.

"Okay but we are a little short on manpower," Helena complained.

"Try working with Bane," Dinah complained. She had managed to stop Bane who somehow had managed to arrange his escape and get a new supply of Venom when he was being transferred from Metropolis to Gotham. She had managed to catch him before he fled into the sewers.

"Are you alright Dinah?" Barbara asked with concern.

"Fine Oracle."

Barbara sighed with relief upon hearing Dinah call her by her codename with a little sarcasm. She was alright and her usual self. Dinah wasn't done with her report.

"I just talked to the commissioner. He's wondering what happen to the extra manpower we had earlier."

"Did you tell him Question and Arrow had priorities with the League?"

"He wasn't asking about them. He was asking about Nightwing," Dinah said.

"What?" Barbara asked. She tried not to think about Dick and the rest the past week. Gotham needed someone to stay level headed and it needed to be her. She decided since she was the only one who knew how to work Batman's inexpensive computer containing so much information about virtually every criminal in Gotham, she would need to take charge of trying to keep Gotham alive while Batman was away. But still the efforts were not totally successful. Criminals just kept getting bolder.

"He was telling me Gotham needs a Batman," Dinah said. "Like us four haven't been doing all the work!"

"He's got a point Dinah," Huntress said through her commlink. "With Batman out of the picture, criminals are getting more reckless. It doesn't matter how good we are at our jobs. Criminals believe they are untouchable now and are likely to commit more crimes, especially dangerous ones."

"Why did he want Nightwing then?" Barbara asked. Better to be thinking about Dick than Bruce.

Dinah laughed. "He wanted to see if Dick could dress up like Batman. At least to make criminals think Batman was back."

Barbara paused. Commissioner Bullock had a point. Just the mere image of Batman would be enough to cause a bunch of criminals to retreat into the gutter. But there was no one who could pull it off. Not that Barbara, Dinah, Helena, or Selina were incapable of doing a good job. It's just they couldn't dress in Batman's Kevlar. None of them had the body type.

Barbara had been tempted to bring out her old Batgirl costume but thought against it. She was not a girl but a woman now. Crooks wouldn't be intimidated by Batgirl. Batwoman maybe…

But that idea was tossed out as well. The last time a Batwoman was in Gotham it still led a bad taste in much people's mouth due to the excessive violence. Plus it was still not Batman.

"Are you okay Oracle?" Huntress asked when Barbara had remained silent.

"I'm fine. I'm just wishing criminals were less sexist," she muttered darkly.

Both Helena and Dinah snorted with laughter when someone else was connected to the conversation, establishing now a four way conversation.

"Batgirl, this is Catwoman, how are things?" Selina purred.

"Stop calling me that!" Barbara shouted annoyed. "It's Oracle."

"No need to get snippy," Selina snapped back. "I was just calling that I busted two drug deals, three rapes, a robbery, a carjacking, and still had time to stake out that meth lab on Fife Street," Selina complained.

Barbara sighed. The rest of the group may still have had trust issues with Selina due to her past history and general personality, but they could not deny she was an invaluable asset.

She was doing the lion's share of the work by patrolling the East End which had the biggest uptake of crime even when word got around that Batman was gone.

"Good job Selina, anything to report?"

Selina gave an exaggerated yawn.

"The usual. Boring. They haven't started shipping anything yet. I think they want to make a big build up of supply before they start."

"Why don't we take them out now though?" Dinah asked on the other line.

"We need to find out who's their backer first. Got to wait for the bigger fish. You of all people should understand that Selina," Huntress explained.

Selina laughed at the cat reference.

"The bottom line is everyone continues their jobs. I know things are bad here but we have to make do with what we can. The commissioner has been working with us and giving us many resources so we can't let him or Gotham down. Oracle out."

Both Helena and Dinah had hung up. Selina however did not.

"What Selina?" Barbara asked annoyed.

"We need some reinforcements. Sure it's good what we have been doing, but it is going to take a lot more than us to set this city straight again. I have lived here before you were even in your little costume and I don't think I have ever seen it this bad. Why don't we call your friends on the Justice League or that nice little boy? What was his name? Todd? Tom?"

"Tim," Barbara answered angrily. "And he had retired long ago. The Justice League has to go where it is needed. It was nice of them to spare Dinah for us. Bullock's trying to get the National Guard to stay longer to help…"

Selina laughed.

"You don't get it. Gotham needs Batman!"

Barbara sighed.

"Bruce is incapacitated right now…"

"I'm not talking about Bruce. I'm talking about Batman!"

Barbara sighed.

"You heard Dinah's report from the commissioner?"

"It's not a bad idea. Problem is Nightwing had to go all prodigal son on us and leaving us shorthanded. Gotham needs to think Batman has returned."

Barbara sighed.

"Well none of the four of us can try to pretend we are Batman. We are too slender for the suit. We could try going as Batwoman but I doubt that will work because criminals will see we are desperate to get the name out."

Selina laughed again.

"What's so funny?" Barbara demanded angrily.

"Do you think when Bruce reached a certain age when he couldn't move as much he would just retire and settle down? No! He wouldn't retire unless his heart stopped! He's built a technology advance suit to aid him when he got older."

Barbara paused. That does seem like something Bruce would do. Always prepared.

"But what does this have to do with…"

"It's a custom fitting suit. Made out of some fancy technology that it can fit anyone. I'm sure if someone were to tweak it right, they could pull off that they were a Batman and not a Batwoman."

"How do you know all this?" Barbara asked suspiciously.

"Dear, I have known Bruce for twenty years. I have moved in and out of that manor so many times you don't think I wouldn't ever take the opportunity to snoop around? I'm insulted!"

Barbara was a little hurt by that remark. Was Selina implying she knew about how her forbidden relationship with Bruce? That was crossing the line. They were supposed to be mentor and protégé, not lovers.

But before Barbara could ask, Selina had hung up, leaving her perplexed.

Why did Selina tell her this? Was it a trap? Unlikely. She was trying to help.

Was she trying to tell Barbara to take the suit? Bad idea. She hadn't been Batgirl for four years. Still though, Selina did make it sound like this suit was more technologically advance…

Barbara quickly searched the files. It did not take long for her to find what she was looking for. It was hidden among family photos Bruce had of his parents. Like Selina, Barbara knew him pretty well too.

Barbara found what she was looking for and clicked the file. To her surprise, something hissed behind her.

A secret contraption had appeared not too far behind her. A trap door opened, and something rose out of it. The thing rising was a glass tube revealing a suit.

A suit she had never seen before.

It was all black. There was no cape. The bat logo was larger and red. The suit was sleeker. Seemed more design for advanced combat.

Why hadn't Bruce tested it yet?

Barbara then smirked. He was probably still at that age where he can still be too proud to rely more on technology than his own skills.

Barbara felt nervous. Based on the schematics she saw, she could use the suit's technology to hide her feminine body. She was also accomplished in changing her voice and the mask would cover all her facial features. It wouldn't take her long to figure out how to use the suit.

For all the world knew, she could be Batman, or Nightwing.

This is what Selina was telling her. She needed to use this suit. It could give her and the rest of her female allies the morale booster to turn the tide on the rise in crime. If word got out Batman was back, why they could probably make it safe to walk around the streets at night again.

But then Barbara felt hesitation. Not because the suit was a prototype, but because of her father and Bruce.

Both had wanted her to stop being Batgirl. Bruce took the costume while her father convinced her to retire. She felt like by doing this she was disrespecting their memories. She would be dishonoring them.

But then she thought what Bruce and her father would have done. Neither of them would stand by while all the hard work they built sank down the tubes. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm sorry Bruce, but Gotham needs a Batman."

000000

_Batman's Heart_

The roller coaster kept descending deep into the next realm. Alfred wasn't kidding when he said Batman had buried this one deep. The journey seemed to go on forever.

"Is there any way to make this go faster?" complained Lobo. "I thought roller coasters were supposed to be fun!"

"Lobo," John said, "Shut up!"

"What? I'm just saying what we're all thinkin'. I thought we're in a hurry?"

John groaned.

"I hope one day Lobo you will learn to not be a self-absorbed, egotistical, sadist…"

"Thanks."

"…and actually do something good."

"Ya mean my good deed of the millennium? I already did that. Oh and what about savin' yar sorry buts in that realm with the mutant plants? You all would have been loggygagin' and daydreamin' still without me!"

Diana ignored the argument going on in front of her. She was thinking how she was going to react. She and Bruce may have had a fling in the past but that was it. Like her mother and Hades, it was ancient history. She had moved on. Whatever this realm would show her, she would tell herself it was just past feelings. Feelings that should be forgotten.

"_Diana seems upset,"_ J'onn whispered to Superman telepathically.

Superman sighed. _"She is worried she will be tested in this realm."_

J'onn gave an understanding nod.

"_Wait, you know about her and Bruce?"_

J'onn chuckled.

"_Superman, I think everybody except Wally, Dick and Lobo knew about it. But she has Tom now doesn't she?"_

Superman sighed. He was tempted to tell J'onn what Diana saw in the Black Mercy but decided to keep it quiet. She deserved her privacy.

"_She might not get to be tested though…"_

"_Really?"_ Superman asked.

"_There is nothing barring any of us getting tested twice although some of the Realms have made it seem like that. Dick might go because of his familial love for Bruce. The only problem is I think Diana needs to be tested."_

"_Why?"_

"_It will not only give her closure but she is the best option we have. The only thing stronger than her compassion is her love. Her love for humanity, her love for this world, her love for us…"_

The roller coaster suddenly jerked to a halt.

"Looks like we're here," Dick remarked getting out after the bar lifted up.

"Where is here exactly?" Wally asked.

The group got out and looked around. What Alfred said was true; they were in a theme park. Or at least what used to be.

It was rundown and abandoned. Dick was looking at it strangely.

"This looks familiar…"

Superman was looking around. There were hints of violet glowing in the otherwise cold and dreary theme park.

"This is an odd place for love," he remarked.

The group nervously walked keeping their eyes open. They didn't want to get a surprise attack like they did in Avarice.

Suddenly a noise went off and startled all of them. Lobo started shooting his gun wildly.

The noise was revealed to be rundown giant robots who were singing a song about the future. That sparked a memory from Dick.

"Now I know what this is!" Dick said. "This is that old theme park in Gotham. I had to do a stakeout here with Bruce once! Although it got blown up by the Joker years later."

"Why is a rundown theme park the Realm of Love?" Shayera asked.

"Because it was the first time Bruce considered he was actually in love," purred a seductive voice.

The group jumped around alarmed. Where did that voice come from?

Dick knew that voice. He knew it too well.

"Selina?" he asked.

Something black suddenly dropped in front of them. The figure got up to reveal a woman in skin tight leather.

"Hot damn," Lobo remarked.

Superman gabbed Lobo and gave him a look that said "don't you dare."

"I wasn't gonna do anythin'," Lobo complained.

Diana was ignoring the way her heart rate had changed. She wasn't jealous. She wasn't mad that a cat burglar was chosen as Bruce's own manifestation of love…

"Welcome to the Realm of Love boys," Selina said flirtatiously before eyeing Shayera and Diana, "And girls."

"You're the manifestation of Bruce's love?" Dick asked. Sure Bruce and she had a history but they were never that serious.

"Surprised aren't you?" grinned Selina. "Well believe it or not, Bruce actually has loved. He loved his parents. He loved Alfred. He loved you, Dick, and Tim like sons. And he loved a handful of woman that I am part of. The reason why I take this form is because he considers Selina to be the longest lasting and most stable relationship he ever had."

"But you are a thief who double crossed him regularly," Diana pointed out, slightly annoyed.

Selina grinned even more.

"It just shows you how sad Bruce's love life is if he considers me to be the most stable relationship in his life. Plus I was the last one out of all the people he loved to leave him, which has to count for something."

Dick wanted to point out that Barbara had stayed loyal to Bruce but thought better against it. They had work to do.

"Come, we got a lot to show," Selina remarked and turned around to lead the group.

Diana was trying to stay calm; she didn't want to see what was next.

**What is Selina going to show them?**


	33. Love

**To the anonymous troll, you obviously don't watch the DCAU which this fic is based off of. There is so many examples of Selina and Batman screwing each other over. For the rest of the people, hope you enjoy this chapter. It took awhile to write.**

Selina had led the group to a fun house. They were in a house of mirrors. Wally couldn't resist the urge to play with his image.

"How old are you Wally?" John cried annoyed.

Wally stopped moving in embarrassment.

"Supes?" whispered Lobo.

Superman ignored him.

"Supes?" Lobo prodded again.

Again Superman ignored him.

"Supes?" Lobo said.

Superman sighed.

"What?" he whispered.

"Is that cat lady in the real world single?"

Superman closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Not now.

"What?" Lobo asked.

Selina was eyeing the group with slight bemusement.

"Now that we are all done fooling around, let us begin," she said.

"There is a reason why this realm is buried deeper than the rest. The night Bruce saw his parents died, he was always afraid of love. However it wasn't until a certain incident when he was about to take up the cowl, that he accepted he could not love or be loved…"

The mirrors changed to show a scene. It was Bruce placing flowers outside his parent's tombstone.

"Look how young he looks!" Shayera said.

Bruce did look young but his facial expressions showed that of someone who had suffered great loss. He looked like a war veteran.

Something caught his attention and he looked around. There was a beautiful young woman with red hair. She was talking to herself. She suddenly sensed Bruce's presence behind her.

"Yes?" she asked as she turned around.

"That's Andrea!" Flash said, pointing out the obvious.

"Yes we see Wally," Superman replied. He wanted to hear what Bruce was saying.

"Excuse me," Bruce said caught off guard. "I thought you were saying something. Well to me I mean."

"No," Andrea said acting coy.

The rest of the memory played out. Andrea seemed to enjoy flirting with Bruce which was odd considering they were in the graveyard. They watched as Andrea drove away. Bruce was smiling.

"Bruce quickly fell for Andrea even though he had thought he had no time for love. She seemed to understand him and saw beneath the moody façade. She knew there was still a sweet man beneath it all."

Diana was feeling sick. That was how she used to see Bruce, but she had been blinded by her own stubbornness. She knew Bruce wasn't as dark as he liked to think he was and she had forgotten that in her rage at him.

"Within weeks, Bruce and Andrea were dating. It truly was what you would call summer love," Selina narrated with a little disdain in her voice. "However before Bruce had become Batman, he realized he was stuck. After a trip at this theme park and a failed attempt to stop some muggers in front of Andrea, Bruce was faced with a difficult choice; would he choose to honor the vow he made to his parents, or be with the woman he loved?"

The mirrors showed Bruce outside his parents' grave again except this time was different than the last.

For one it was raining and Bruce was showing more overt signs of emotional pain. He was on his knees, begging to his parents' grave.

"It doesn't mean I don't care anymore," Bruce pleaded, his head bowed in shame. "I don't want to let you down, honest."

Dick had never seen Bruce like this before. So lacking confidence and in fear. Even when Batman was afraid he still would usually show confidence in defiance. But this was different, Bruce was completely vulnerable.

"But…but...it just doesn't hurt so bad anymore. You can understand that can't you?" Bruce asked getting to his feet. "Look I can give money to the city, they can hire more cops, let someone else take the risk. It's different now.

As if in response, lightning had struck nearby, illuminating his parents' grave.

"Please, I need it to be different now…" he begged before getting onto his knees again. "I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming. I didn't count on being happy."

Those words had cut like a knife on the founders and Dick. The real truth of Batman was revealed in front of him. Batman was never meant to find happiness.

"I know what you are thinking," Selina spoke again. "That Bruce made a decision and broke up with Andrea and became Batman, well you are quite wrong…"

Superman was in surprise. He thought for sure Bruce would have chosen Batman over love.

The scene showed Batman and Andrea walking along a cliff. He and Andrea were talking about her going to Europe with her father.

"Wait please," Bruce said then looked uncomfortably to the side.

"Umm... never mind I'm no good at this…"Bruce muttered as he pulled out a box.

Andrea sat down in shock.

"Here," Bruce said and placed the box in her hand. "You'll get the idea."

Diana couldn't believe what she was seeing. Bruce was actually opening his heart out to someone? He was actually willing to commit?

Nervously Andrea opened up the box and gasped. In it was a diamond ring.

Shayera couldn't help but smile. It reminded her how John proposed to her. He was so uncomfortable she snatched the box from his hand and opened it herself.

Bruce looked nervous in the memory. He had a dopey grin on his face.

"What do you say…" he asked nervously, avoiding making eye contact with the woman he loved.

"Of course I will!" Andrea said and pulled Bruce to an embrace. "I never thought this would happen. I always felt like, like I've thrown you a curveball. Like you never knew what to do with me because I wasn't part of your plan."

Bruce was overjoyed and slowly put the ring on his fiancé's finger.

"I'm changing the plan…" he stated.

Dick was in shock. He thought the only time Bruce actually came close to marriage was with that plant lady Ivy had created. Bruce never told him about this. But then again Bruce kept a lot of things secret.

Selina smirked.

"I know you are all shocked by this. Bruce gave up on being Batman for a woman? But your eyes do not deceive you. Andrea was special to him. She was the one woman who made him see the light in the world. She made him feel happy, something he was scared of feeling."

Lobo was muttering under his breath that he could have bought a bigger ring for Andrea but everyone ignored him.

Wally however knew something was amiss.

"What happened then?" he asked expecting some great tragedy.

Selina's smirk turned into a frown. "She left him…"

The group gasped. They thought it would be him to sabotage the relationship.

The mirrors showed Bruce walking up to Alfred who looked like he was in pain.

"Alfred what's wrong?" Bruce asked unsure at the look Alfred was giving him.

"This just arrived sir," Alfred said reluctantly, passing a wrapped box with a note on it.

Bruce unwrapped the paper to reveal the box that held the ring he gave to Andrea. Unsure he opened the note.

"Left with dad?" Bruce said reading parts of the note out loud. "Too young? Need time?"

Bruce looked up; his eyes showing his broken heart as he slowly whispered the last line out loud.

"Forget about me…"

In rage Bruce crumpled the note in his hand before looking into the sky.

The memory immediately cut to Bruce putting something on. The League immediately recognized it as a Batman suit, a very early one.

All that was missing was the cowl.

Bruce stared at the cowl unsure before putting it on; the transformation to the Bat was complete. Batman turned around and Alfred gasped in horror at the sight.

"My God…" Alfred whispered as he saw the man Bruce had become.

Diana was feeling angry at Andrea. How could that woman do that to Bruce? He opened her heart out and she rejected it like that. Now Diana was starting to understand why he was so guarded in his emotions. Especially with her…

No must not think like that. Must be strong. She still loved Tom and didn't want that to be jeopardized out of guilt.

The rest of the group was reaching an understanding now. Bruce became Batman not because it was a way to cope with his grief but because it was the only way. Andrea had broke his heart and made him feel like there was no hope for happiness in his life.

"Little did Bruce know at the time Andrea still loved him. She was forced to leave Gotham because her father got caught up in the mob and they had to flee out of safety. Bruce did not see her again for years until she came to town again. Right around that time, those same mobsters that had threatened Andrea's father were getting killed one by one. Bruce suspected Andrea's father and confronted her about it. But soon those old feelings came out again…"

John was having a hard time believing that Batman would forgive Andrea for what she did.

"When Andrea told Bruce why she left, that familiar hopeful feeling struck Bruce again. Maybe this time he wouldn't be so alone and they could start over."

"What happened?" Dick asked. She must have returned when he was in college since he never recalled meeting her but did remember hearing about some mobsters getting killed in Gotham his Sophomore year.

Selina smiled. "Her father was long dead. Those mobsters had found him and killed him. Andrea wasn't returning to Gotham to stop her father like she told Bruce, but to avenge him."

Superman now understood why Andrea was the symbol of Bruce's rage. If Bruce just let that anger take control and cross that line, he would be no different than Andrea.

The mirrors began to change again and showed Andrea and Batman arguing. They were in the same theme park they were in. Andrea looked different as well. Her eyes showed only anger and hate. She truly was a lost soul.

"They took everything Bruce…" Andrea begged. "My dad! My life! You! I'm not saying it's right or even sane but it's all I've got left. So either help me or get out of the way!"

"You know I can't do that!" Batman barked.

"Look what they did to us!" Andrea shrieked in response. "What we could've had! They had to pay!"

But Andie," Batman begged, as he grabbed her shoulders, trying to reach an understanding. "What will vengeance solve?"

"If anyone knows the answer to that Bruce, it's you," Andrea said accusatorily to Batman.

Batman's eyes showed shock at that accusation. He was hurt and insulted by it at the same time.

"Leave Andie," he said. It was more of a plea than an order. "Now, please."

The memory flashed forward to Bruce in the cave. He was still in the Batman suit but he had the cowl off. Alfred was trying to comfort him.

"I couldn't save her Alfred," he said guiltily.

"I don't think she wanted to be save sir," Alfred said bluntly. "Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night. But you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that."

Shayera was reminded by how Alfred had comforted her while the founders debated her fate. Bruce was truly blessed to have had Alfred there for him.

Alfred got on his knees and placed a comforting hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"But Andrea fell into that pit years ago. And no one, not even you could have pulled her back."

Bruce looked like he was on the verge of tears when something caught his eye. Something sparkling.

"What is it?" Alfred asked.

Bruce ignored him and ran to the small light.

He quickly realized it was something that he could touch and he grabbed it. It was a gold locket with a heart on it. Nervously Bruce realized what it was and cried again.

"That is all Bruce has left to remember Andrea," Selina remarked. "A locket. A reminder how he would have given up everything for her only for his heart to be rejected."

Everyone was taking in what they just saw. This was a completely different Batman they had seen. A weaker one. One who was in constant doubt in contrast to the arrogance they usually saw. A Batman that was letting his emotions take control instead of suppressing them.

"Now I hope next time Batman acts cold, you are not too quick to judge him," Selina remarked, her eyes resting on Diana a little longer than the rest. "But Andrea was not the only woman Bruce had loved."

"Nothin' wrong with that!" Lobo heckled.

"Shut up Lobo!" everyone shouted in unison.

Selina stretched.

"I know some of you doubt Bruce could love again after Andrea had left him, but you would be surprise…"

The mirrors shifted again, this time revealing Batman walking in a desert. Dick immediately recognized that it was an encounter with Ra's Al Ghul.

The sun was setting and a beautiful woman was following Batman. He had the cowl on but was missing the top half of his suit for some reason.

"What is to become of me Beloved?" the woman asked.

Batman turned around and kissed her passionately as the sun set behind them. It looked like a scene from a romance movie.

Diana was ignoring the little anger feeling up inside her. She didn't like it when she saw Bruce kissing the daughter of an eco-terrorist.

"Next, we have Talia," Selina explained. "Now Talia was the opposite of Andrea. Andrea was the woman Batman once loved before being consumed by the darkness. Talia however was a woman of darkness that Bruce hoped he could save…"

As Selina spoke, memories centered on Talia and Bruce played out.

"…and one day, Bruce thought his efforts would be rewarded."

The mirrors then showed Bruce in the cave out of costume. He looked sleep deprived and a little on edge. From his age and what he was saying on the phone the League could guess it was after the incident with the Joker and Tim but before the Apocalypse of '09.

"Thank you Leslie, for everything," Bruce sighed before sitting back down and burying his face in his hands.

"Sir," Alfred spoke. "You have a visitor…"

"I'm busy," Bruce spoke.

"Even for me Beloved?" a soft voice was heard.

Bruce turned around and saw Talia behind Alfred.

"Talia?" Bruce asked unsure.

Talia made her way downstairs without invitation.

"I heard something bad has happened to you about a year ago. What happened?"

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked suspiciously. "What does your father want?"

Talia seemed hurt by that accusation.

"I broke ties with my father years ago. I'm here on my own accord. I came to Gotham to do business and I have heard rumors…"

"What rumors?" Bruce asked maintaining a cold front in front of Talia.

"That one of your sons was killed. The public is still talking about what happened to the last Robin who disappeared unsuspectingly."

Bruce sighed.

"He became a target to an old enemy. He's in treatment right now."

Talia sighed.

"Will he be alright Beloved?" she asked.

Bruce sighed again and let his guard down.

"Yes he will. It will take some therapy but he will be alright…"

Talia interrupted him by embracing him.

"If there is anything you need me for, I am here for you."

The group could tell Bruce wanted to push her away but he couldn't. He needed someone right now.

Diana and Superman felt like this was condemning them. They saw the signs that Bruce was on edge but they let it slide. They should have made more effort to reach him.

Bruce buried his face into Talia's hair.

Talia looked up and the two shared a slow kiss.

The memory stopped.

"After every bad thing that happened, Bruce finally thought his efforts were being rewarded," Selina noted. "He thought that maybe after everything, he finally could save her soul. For a week, Talia stayed in the manor with Bruce and for the first time in a long time, Bruce finally was feeling at ease again."

"What happened?" John asked.

Shayera sighed. This was being déjà vu for her. She knew what it was like to have conflicting loyalties. Talia said she had parted ways with her father but Shayera saw it in her eyes. She was going undercover. It takes a traitor to know traitor.

Selina sighed sadly, "You always wondered how Bruce let Ra's get a hold of his countermeasures, well here's your answer."

The mirrors showed a new memory. Bruce was out of costume and he looked like he had gotten into a fight. He was covered in dirt and there were cuts and bruises all over his body. But the most disturbing sight was his eyes.

They showed pure horror. Bruce was watching something on the monitors. The League recognized what he was being shown. Batman's countermeasures were being put into place.

Bruce was watching his own destruction.

"What have I done?" Bruce whispered in remorse.

"Beloved?" a voice called rushing down the stairs to the cave. "Where have you been? I was worried about you."

Bruce's eyes had changed from horror into something else. Something similar when he last fought the Joker. Cold fury.

Except this time this fury was mixed with tears of betrayal.

"Beloved?" Talia asked unsure as she approached Bruce.

Bruce turned around and grabbed her by the wrists.

"You're hurting me!" Talia cried.

Bruce responded by throwing her against the cave wall violently.

"What did you do?" Bruce yelled.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about. You are not well…"

Bruce grabbed her by the throat. Talia gasped for air.

"It was you? Wasn't it? You stole my plans didn't you? You told your father I would be visiting my parents' grave today for his men to ambush me?"

"I-I...didn't…tell…him….that. I…was…worried…when…you…didn't…come…back…" she said as she slowly lost consciousness.

When Talia look like she was about to pass out, Bruce dropped her.

Talia let out a deep breath.

"Be-beloved…" she gasped. "You must understand that I had no idea this would happen. I didn't know he would try to kill you-"

Bruce had struck her across the face startling the League. Never had they once seen Bruce struck someone like that. But then again they never saw him betrayed like that.

Talia yelped in pain and began to sob.

"I'm sorry Beloved," she begged for his forgiveness. "My father told me he just wanted the schematics for some machine you were building. I had no idea he was after this…"

"And you trusted him?" Bruce yelled. "So you seduce me to please your father?"

"No!" Talia shouted and slowly rose to her feet.

"That was real Beloved. I really do love you…"

Bruce grabbed her by the throat again.

"I…trusted you Talia. I trusted you!" Bruce yelled but he wasn't really condemning her. It was more like he was begging her to tell him this was all a lie despite the evidence in front of him. His eyes showed the pain; he didn't want it to be true.

"I'm sorry Beloved," Talia said and the League could tell she meant it. Despite the damage Talia had caused, the League could not help but feel pity for her. She was a woman torn between two loyalties.

Shayera understood what that was exactly like. Having to choose between your own heritage or your love wasn't an easy choice.

Bruce dropped her on the ground violently. His anger was rising again.

"Get out," he said venomously.

"Beloved…"

"Get out!" Bruce shouted, startling even Talia. She wasted no time and quickly began running up the cave steps.

"And tell your father whatever he is planning to do, I'll stop him!" Bruce shouted back.

He quickly began to change into his batsuit.

"Bruce what did you do?" cried an angry voice. Batman turned around to see the usually calm Alfred storming down the steps.

"Why did I see Talia leave in tears?" he demanded.

"She betrayed me Alfred," Batman said coldly in contrast to the violent rage he showed earlier. The League could tell though he was still angry about it. "And besides we got more important things to worry about. The League's under attack!"

That caused Alfred to put aside the angry look he was giving for one of surprise and concern.

"By who?"

"By me!" Batman answered as he stormed away.

To the founders, the anger Batman showed after he resigned didn't seem that shocking after all anymore. Batman was already betrayed once earlier that day, now he was betrayed by his own friends.

Dick was beside himself. He knew Talia probably would always choose her father over Bruce, but he didn't expect to feel that sorry for her. She did seem to show legit concern for Bruce when he came back from being ambushed by Ra's men.

The mirrors shifted again to fast forward the memory. Batman was standing in a cave with Ra's and Talia on the other side.

"Give up Ra's," Batman threatened. "The League has stopped all the other bombs."

"Perhaps Detective. But at least I will take a consolation prize and destroy your beloved city. Gotham will be ashes in thirty seconds and you don't have enough explosives to destroy the signal here," Ra's gloated.

At that moment the ground began to shake violently. Ra's and Talia were knocked off their feet.

"You are always too close to a pit Ra's," Batman explained. "You should know better those can become disruptive when around even smaller explosives."

The control pad behind Ra's began to sizzle as Ra's base was collapsing on itself.

Batman grinned.

"You are finally coming with me," Batman said as he pulled out some handcuffs and made his way toward the eco-terrorist.

Ra's attempted to flee but the ground below him exploded. Green smoke from the Lazarus Pit that Batman had destroyed shot up. A large rock had landed on Ra's.

"Father!" Talia shouted and ran to her father as he struggled to get himself free. He was injured badly.

Batman had not left yet.

"Talia," he said urgently. "We have to go!"

Talia looked at Batman with true sorrow in her eyes and Batman knew the answer.

She had chosen her father over him.

A large rock had fell separating Batman and from Talia.

"Talia!" Batman shouted but it was no use, the cave was about to collapse.

Batman ran, avoiding as many falling rocks as he could. He managed to find an opening and went through it, just in time as the cave collapsed behind him.

Batman caught his breath and sighed. He took off his cowl.

A single tear began to flow down his face. Like Andrea, he had lost her.

Unfortunately, Batman's commlink buzzed, interrupting his self-pity.

"Batman this is Superman," Superman's voice was heard. "What is the status on Ra's?"

Batman paused.

"I don't know," he said in the voice of the Bat even though he was on the verge of crying. "All I can confirm is his base is destroyed. He and his men will be crippled for a long time."

There was a pause on Superman's end.

"Batman, we need you up at the Watchtower. We need to have a discussion on what has happened the past few days…"

Batman had hung up. He was angry now. Before they could see what happened next, the memory ended and they were just staring at mirrors again.

"You all already know what happens next…" Selina remarked. "But I bet none of you knew that Batman had witnessed another woman he had open his heart to be lost forever to him before he went to his last meeting with you?"

No one replied. Batman's love with Talia was a true tragedy.

John couldn't help but pull Shayera closer to him. They were both crying. They both knew that was what could have happened to their relationship if they hadn't chosen love.

Superman felt guilty. He felt he was callous when he told Batman to come up to the Watchtower. How did he not detect the grief he was letting out? He should have put off that meeting for later. Maybe Batman would have been calmer and everyone would have had cooler heads.

Diana like Batman had a tear streaming down her face. Batman didn't deserve that. Not only did he get his heart broken again, but to be betrayed like that. She would never do that to him. She knew he deserved to be with someone who wouldn't

"You all see a pattern here?" Selina remarked. "Every time Batman opens his heart he gets betrayed or disappointed. But there have been times where Batman has refused to open his heart not out of fear of getting betrayed, but that he will hurt someone."

Diana was feeling nervous. Here it goes. The League was going to see the truth about her and Batman's relationship.

Btu the mirrors didn't show Diana. Instead they showed someone else.

"Zatanna?" Wally asked in surprise.

Diana was ignoring how much that hurt a little. Btu she couldn't feel angry at Zatanna. Zatanna after all had helped her in the past.

Selina smirked.

"When Bruce first met Zatanna, he was working as an assistant for her father, the greatest escape artist since Houdini. Bruce was learning all the escape tricks that became essential for his future career as Batman. Zatanna was just a teenager at the time and boy did she have a crush on him…"

The mirrors showed a young Bruce and a much younger Zatanna talking. She had handcuffed Bruce to something.

"Zatanna was so smitten with Bruce she didn't want him to leave. Bruce however knew he still had worked to do."

The group watch as Bruce quickly broke free from the handcuff and was quietly sneaking away as Zatanna turned around. A brief glimpse showed he felt bad for leaving her like that.

"After a while, Bruce reunited with Zatanna and she found out his identity. They kept a really close friendship and would talk to each other from time to time…"

The scene showed Zatanna was in a room. She was reading a book of spells.

"I didn't know you actually had powers…" the voice of the Bat said from somewhere.

Zatanna smirked.

"I didn't either until last year when I found this…" she replied. "Besides, I thought you didn't believe in magic."

Batman stepped into the light.

"Good to see you Bruce!" Zatanna remarked as she got to her feet and gave him a hug. To their surprise Batman returned it with a grin.

"How are things?" she asked. "I heard you have a new Robin."

"He's good," Batman replied.

The League was amazed at the sight before them. Batman was making small talk with someone? Let alone a meta.

"So what brings you here?"

Batman cleared his throat.

"The Justice League is building a new Watchtower," he explained.

"With your money no doubt," Zatanna joked.

Batman smirked at that.

"We are making it bigger, to accommodate more heroes…"

"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked.

"We are expanding the team," Batman remarked. "The world is too big for just the six of us."

"And you are telling me this because…"

"I…I mean…the League would like it if you joined us," Batman explained.

Zatanna's eyes showed surprise and excitement.

"Really?"

"Yes. We need a few mages on the team and I suggested you. You have already been doing well even though you only discovered your powers about a year ago."

Zatanna was speechless. She seemed to be really honored that she was invited to join the Justice League, let alone by Batman.

"Bruce, that's great!" she said and got up to hug him.

Selina sighed before she began to speak again.

"Bruce shared a special bond with Zatanna. It wasn't romantic or platonic, but a different kind of love. A love that can't be described in words."

Superman understood what Selina meant. That was how he felt with Diana. They weren't just friends but they weren't lovers either. They had a special bond. A bond no one could understand.

In all his life Superman never expected that Batman shared that kind of bond with someone else, especially a meta.

"But," Selina said. "There were times that both were tempted to take it to somewhere else. They probably would have succeeded if Bruce did not want to jeopardize the special bond he had with her. He also feared that if he let her in, he would hurt or corrupt her and dishonor the memory of her father who was a great mentor to Bruce."

The next memory they saw was Zatanna was in a robe again. She was watching things over a crystal ball.

Suddenly Batman appeared.

"Bruce!" Zatanna said in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Batman seemed stiff. He looked like he was half dead with his pale skin.

"Bruce? What's wrong?" Zatanna asked immediately knowing something was different around him. She also noticed a wound on his leg that was still gushing blood.

"Oh my God! Here I can fix that…"

Batman grabbed her wrist.

"Don't," he begged.

"Bruce this is ridiculous. That needs to be checked out…"

"The Joker's dead," Batman blurted out.

"What?"

"The Joker's dead," Batman gasped in pain. He was about to collapse but Zatanna had managed to levitate a chair for him to fall on.

She got on one knee and looked into Bruce's eyes.

"What happened?"

"Tim…Tim…killed him," he whispered.

"What?" Zatanna asked in shock.

"Tim killed him. The Joker had kidnapped him. Tortured him. He was trying to brainwash Tim into a version of himself…" Batman explained. He was trembling when recounting that memory.

"Well it was self-defense then," Zatanna said, grasping his hands tightly as she attempted to comfort him.

"You don't understand…" Batman said. "I wanted to kill him!"

"You don't mean that…"

"I do!" Bruce shouted as he yanked his hand away from Zatanna's and took off his cowl to show his eyes that were mixture of pain, fear, and anger.

"I was angry that I didn't do it! When I went to bury the body I beat the crap out of it! And I enjoyed it!"

"You are not yourself!" Zatanna begged. Tears were forming around her eyes.

"You don't know me…" Bruce said, eerily similar to what he had said to Barbara. He stood up to leave.

Zatanna however remained defiant.

"I do know you Bruce," she said. "Better than you think."

Bruce glared at her to tell her to get out of the way.

"For example. I know you always come to me when you are scared like you are right now!"

Bruce paused at that. She had won right there.

Zatanna's defiant look changed to soft pity.

"Please Bruce," she said as she looked into his eyes. "I can help you. Don't shut me out…"

She inched her face to his. He was doing the same. They were about to do the unthinkable. They were about to kiss. But as their lips were about to touch, Zatanna suddenly pulled away.

"I'm sorry…" she said ashamed that she had almost crossed the line. Bruce was of likewise feeling.

"I should go…"

"Bruce wait!" Zatanna said before he left.

"Just know I am here for you when you need me."

Bruce looked at her as he sadly put the cowl back on.

"No one can ever know about what I just told you…" he ordered.

"Bruce…"

"Promise me!" he said a little louder. "Do not tell anyone. Especially Clark and the rest."

"But Bruce I think you should tell…"

"Zatanna," Batman begged.

Zatanna paused. She clearly showed she didn't want to keep this secret, but her respect and love for Bruce was winning out.

"Fine I will."

And with that, Batman had departed. Selina continued her narration.

"After that Batman became more isolated not just with his friends on the Justice League but her as well. It seriously put a strain on their relationship…

The memory now showed Batman sparring a punching bag. He was clearly angry.

"Bruce?" Zatanna's voice was heard.

Batman ignored it and continued to punch the bag.

"Bruce!" Zatanna's voice said with more force this time.

Batman continued to ignore her.

"Gab Dehsinav!" Zatanna cried and the bag disappeared.

Batman lost his balance and fell. He immediately sprang up, his eyes screaming murder.

"Get out of my cave!" he shouted.

"Not until you and I have a talk! What's this I heard you quit?"

"I resigned!" Batman corrected. "Besides they were going to kick me out…"

"That's not true!"

"You weren't there!" Batman shouted. "Three out of five were going to vote for it! And the rest of the League was for it as well!"

"Everyone's just a little angry and stressed out what has just happened the past few days. Give it time Bruce, I'm sure things will work out," Zatanna said as she walked up to Batman. She took off his cowl so she could look in his eyes.

For a while the two just stared sadly at each other. Finally Batman put his cowl back on.

"You are still on the League…" he remarked.

"Yes but…"

"Then get out," Batman demanded.

"Bruce I still care for you…"

"I don't doubt that but they won't like it. If they find out you have been talking to me they might kick you out…"

"I don't care! I'm not going to leave you…"

"Well I'm leaving you!" Batman responded. "You are no longer welcome here!"

Zatanna was hurt by that remark. She looked like she could barely stand. Tears were rolling down her angry face.

"Bruce…"

"Get out!" Batman shouted. "I'm sorry but that teenage dream you had is never coming true!"

Zatanna eyes showed anger.

"You're going to die alone you pig headed basturd!" she shouted before teleporting away.

Once again Batman looked like he was off balance. It was the third time someone had said he would die alone.

"Zatanna," Selina said, "Called Bruce later after that. She had tried to apologize but Bruce brushed it away. He wanted to break ties with everyone, including her. His sweetest friend."

Superman felt bad now. No one had told Zatanna that Batman was on life support right now. She was away on an important mission. Out of everyone she had every right to know what was happening. She was the only one on the League who did not leave Bruce. He instead forced her away.

"But Zatanna is not the only woman who Bruce could have had potential with…" Selina remarked as the mirrors began to swirl again.

This time it focused on a woman behind a desk with violet eyes. She was very beautiful. Everyone recognized her right away.

"Lois?" Diana asked in shock. Not only was she surprised that once again Selina was not referring to her but that Clark's own fiancé was on Bruce's love list. She knew Lois dated Bruce a couple of times but didn't think it was that serious.

Superman was feeling a little jealous. He didn't mean to but Lois was his soul mate.

"Hey Supes!" Lobo shouted while laughing. "That's yar girl!"

Superman took a deep breath before turning around and kicking Lobo in the balls.

"Fragger," Lobo gasped as he collapsed.

Wally, John, and Dick all winced at that. J'onn smiled a little.

Superman turned around and let out a sigh. As much as he hated to admit, he felt a lot better now.

"Are you done?" Selina asked.

"Yes…" Superman said.

The memory continued.

Bruce was dancing with Lois.

"So tell me Bruce," Lois flirted. "You have dated a lot of women, why bother with me?"

"Isn't it obvious," Bruce said with the playboy smirk. "You're beautiful."

Lois laughed.

"I'm serious!"

Bruce dropped the playboy smile and replaced it with a real one.

"Well you're different."

"How?" Lois asked with anticipation.

"Well for starters, there is something familiar about you I can't place."

"I don't think we ever met before yesterday," Lois remarked.

"I agree," Bruce said. "But it's not just that. You are confident, intelligent, smart, and one woman I don't want to anger."

Lois laughed.

"But most of all is you make me feel different. You make me feel something no woman has made me felt in a long time. With you, I feel like you make everything worth it."

Superman despite the fact he was watching his future wife dance with someone else couldn't help but nod in agreement. Lois did have that effect.

"What do you mean?" Lois asked confused.

Bruce realized he almost let in too much and put on the playboy smirk again.

"That this trip was worth it," he remarked.

The memory flash forward. Bruce was now Batman and with Lois running into a room with a printing press machine.

"Stay here; I'm the one it's after!"

A few seconds later, a spider looking robot had busted through. Batman tried to destroy it but it was too strong. Within seconds Batman was pinned against the printing press machine. He was inches from falling against it.

At that moment Lois came out of hiding and chucked a fire extinguisher at the robot. The robot turned its head at Lois but she didn't notice. In the scuffle, Batman' cowl had gotten sucked into the machine.

Lois was staring in shock.

"Bruce?"

At that moment Batman had managed to get one of the robot's legs caught in the machine and it was pulled in. The machine collapsed as the robot clogged it up. It was beyond repair.

Batman calmly began to put his cowl back on.

"So when we're you going to tell me? The honeymoon?" she asked a little angry that he kept this secret. She didn't seem to please about that.

Superman was thankful that Lois had long figured out his identity before he told her.

The memory once again flashed forward. Bruce was about to board a private jet. He was talking to Lois outside the gate. They both looked sad at the conversation they were having.

"I still wish you'd change your mind about Gotham," Bruce said in a soft voice.

"I adore you Bruce," Lois said regretfully. "But now there's a lot about you I don't know and I'm not sure I wanna know."

Bruce sighed sadly before giving an understanding smile.

"I understand."

"Take care of yourself," Lois said and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Selina ended the memory and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Dick asked. He never liked to hear Selina laugh.

"The irony is quite amusing," Selina remarked. "Bruce finally found a woman who wasn't corrupted by the darkness that he was willing to engage a relationship with, yet she couldn't handle him being Batman."

Diana was feeling a little angry at Lois even though she was her friend. How could Lois leave Bruce like that? But then again, if she did, she probably never would have loved Clark.

For the first time in his life, Superman felt guilty that Lois was his fiancé. Bruce was obviously hurt that she left him.

The memories with Lois weren't done though. Once again the mirrors began to ripple and they showed Bruce sitting at a desk. He looked tired.

"Mr. Wayne," a voice said on the other line. "You have a visitor."

"I'm busy," Bruce remarked.

"It's Ms. Lane sir," the secretary remarked.

Bruce looked up.

"Tell her to come right on in."

Within seconds the door opened and Lois stepped in.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Wayne," she flirted.

"Hello Ms. Lane!" Bruce said in a mock playboy voice. "It is truly a delight."

When the door shut behind her Lois's facial expression changed.

"Cut that crap Bruce. I'm here as a friend."

Bruce's face immediately changed into seriousness.

"What is it?"

"Why did you quit?" she asked.

"I resigned and I had no choice. Your boyfriend wanted to kick me out…"

"Don't go there," Lois snapped. The League was shock at that. Not many women could put Batman in his place.

"Why did you leave?" Lois asked.

"It was either have them humiliate me by kicking me out or leave on my own accord. I regret what happened but I'm not sorry for those countermeasures. I standby what I did."

"But those we're your friends Bruce," Lois remarked. "You could have least told them you had them."

"That ruins the point," he countered.

Lois let out a frustrated sigh.

"It doesn't matter. Clark misses you…"

"Has he told you yet?" Bruce asked. "Has the farm boy realized that glasses aren't enough to hide his identity?"

"Leave our relationship out of this!" Lois shouted back. "The point I'm trying to get at is he misses you. He won't admit but I can feel it. He's just like you. Too stubborn to talk to the other…"

"Clark and I have parted ways," Bruce remarked.

"You keep saying that, it will come true," Lois warned. "Please Bruce, for me?"

Bruce sighed.

"Lois," he said gently. "You will always have a special place in my heart. But that ship has sailed. You love him don't you?"

"Yes but that doesn't mean I don't want you two to not be friends!"

Bruce looked away to look out the window.

"Out of respect for you, I will not make you have to feel conflicted. Please do not talk to me ever again. Clark and I are done. Go to him, you deserve to be happy."

"And so do you!" Lois protested.

"Leave Lois, please," Bruce said, not even bothering to turn around.

Lois sighed. She knew she had lost this argument.

"Fine Bruce I will. But no matter how hard you try, you can't push everyone away. Sooner or later one of you two is going to realize how pity this is."

And with that she had left.

What Lois said was true. Clark had realized that it was stupid that he had ignored Bruce. If only Bruce was around to hear him say that. He would be though. Once they finished this realm, the first thing he was going to do was apologize for being a jerk to his best friend.

"Lois however," Selina continued. "Was not the only woman that you would call 'forbidden love'"

And before anyone could ask the mirrors were showing a beautiful woman with red hair like Andrea but she seemed younger and a little happier.

"Babs?" Wally asked.

Everyone was gasping at that. Batgirl was Bruce's student. For him to fall in love with her, that was so wrong.

Dick was feeling a little angry. Mainly at Bruce. He was aware of their forbidden relationship. Not only did it make him jealous but also disappointed at Bruce. Bruce was taking advantage of her and he knew it.

"Yes Bruce has made mistakes," Selina pointed out. "One of those was to give into temptation and be in a relationship with his own student. But as you can see, there had been so many times when he was hurt or rejected that he needed an outlet. And Barbara Gordon provided that for him."

Diana instead of feeling disgust felt pity for Bruce. He was so desperate and lonely that he allowed himself to break his own rules.

John was disgusted.

"What the hell? She's half his age! She's way younger than him!"

Shayera glared at him.

"Vixen was at least ten years younger than you," she pointed out.

"Yeah but that's different…"

John then noticed Shayera was patting her mace.

He got the message and shut up.

The group watched at how Bruce had given into his own temptations with Barbara. It truly was disturbing but they couldn't look away. They could tell that Bruce was aware what he was doing.

A memory cut into Barbara leaving the manor.

"Good night," Bruce she said flirtatiously.

Bruce shut the door. Alfred appeared from another room.

"I must say Master Bruce, I did have reservations about your relationship with Miss Gordon, but I can't help but admit she seems to make you a lot happier…"

"She shouldn't," Bruce said coldly. He was mad at himself, the League could tell.

"What do you mean sir?"

"I'm using her," Bruce remarked. "I don't love her…"

"Not true, you do!" Alfred replied. "I see it in your eyes you do…"

"I love as a daughter not as a lover!" Bruce shouted back. "Do you realize how fucked up that is?"

Alfred was taken aback by Bruce's sudden emotional outburst and cursing. But he quickly gave a stern look.

"Then what are you doing?" he chided Bruce. "Let her go then. Don't keep stringing her along…"

Bruce sighed.

"I don't think I can…"

Alfred slapped Bruce.

"Master Bruce, Miss Gordon is a fine woman and doesn't need you to hurt her like that! So either you treat her like a woman you are supposed to love, or stop this before you hurt her! She doesn't deserve this!"

Bruce bowed his head in shame.

If there ever was one thing Dick could find unforgiveable in Bruce it was this. But still, he didn't enjoy seeing Bruce feeling sorry for his error in judgment.

"Don't worry," Selina comforted. "They may have dated a couple times but they never consummated their relationship. A few weeks after that incident. Tim disappeared. And then that tragedy at Arkham happened. Bruce had come to his senses and realized what he was doing with Barbara was wrong. Of course he didn't end it the right way..."

Now the mirrors were showing Bruce in the manor. He was still in his costume. He finally had put a bandage on the wound of his leg.

"Bruce!" Barbara shouted as she came in.

"What were you doing last night? Alfred was worried sick! He almost left Tim at the hospital! I called Dick and he has been looking for you!"

"I was busy," Bruce remarked.

"Well you could have told me you were going somewhere after you mangled the Joker's corpse!" Barbara shouted back. She was angry that Bruce had remained calm and unapologetic.

"I want you out of here," Bruce replied.

"What?" Barbara asked.

"I'm firing you. I already have locked up your costume. It's too dangerous…"

"Bruce I have faced danger before and you didn't have a problem with it!"

"I already talked to your father on the phone and he agrees. It is for the best. No use wasting your life with me."

Barbara caught on to the double meaning in that message.

"Bruce, please don't push me away. This isn't like you…"

Bruce glared at her.

"You don't know me. None of you do!"

"Bruce. Please, I love…"

"You should have known what you were getting into," Bruce interrupted. "It's over. We have been playing with fire, well now the house has been burnt down. It is time to move on…"

Barbara slapped him across the face.

"Don't you dare pretend like you never loved me!" she shouted back. "And don't you dare try to tell me what I can't do! I became Batgirl by my own choice!"

Bruce just stared at her.

"Only because I let you," he said venomously. "And what we had was wrong. You should have known that! I took advantage of you!"

Barbara was now crying. He really was breaking her heart.

"Barbara," Bruce begged. "Please, leave…"

Barbara ran outside the manor trying to fight back the tears. Bruce cried to himself. He then looked up at the portrait of his parents. It was as if they were judging him.

"I'm sorry," Bruce begged. "I really am!"

Wally couldn't believe this. He knew the Batclan was dysfunctional but wow. It was like a full blown soap opera.

Diana realized Bruce wasn't kidding when he said he had issues. He did. But they could have helped. If he only he wasn't so stubborn. She could have been there for him when he needed her.

Selina sighed.

"For a year Barbara didn't speak to Bruce. But when her father got sick she realized how petty it was and resumed contact with him. Unfortunately their relationship was never the same…"

"Enough!" Dick shouted. He was angry that everyone else had to see some stuff that was really personal for Barbara. Things she would be embarrassed if she knew the League found out.

But that wasn't the only reason why Dick was angry. He still had some feelings for Barbara and didn't like watching her fall in love with the man he looked up to.

"Very well," Selina said, a little angry that Dick interrupted her. "You get the point. Now it's my turn…"

Selina purred as she hit the mirrors.

They were showing multiple scenes at once. Everyone was having a hard time watching all of them simultaneously. But the message was clear; Selina and Bruce had a history.

Finally one memory came into focus. Selina was tied up struggling on a track. It didn't take them long to realize she was slowly being led to a machine that would grind her soon. Selina struggled to get free. Suddenly the track stopped by inches.

Selina sighed through her gag.

Batman appeared and untied her.

"The police are coming to get Harley, we might want to get out of here," Batman explained calmly.

The memory now showed Batman and Catwoman on a roof.

"Thanks for coming after me," Selina said flirtatiously.

"I owe you," Batman muttered begrudgingly.

"Well I like to think our relationship isn't just restricted to saving each other from freaks and weirdoes," Selina replied and began to playfully stroke the Batman logo on his suit.

"Maybe we have a place for each other without a Gotham. Without the freaks," she continued as she looked into Batman's eyes. "Maybe without masks."

At that moment she had started to stroke Batman's chin.

"Maybe…" Batman remarked before the memory ended.

The present Selina began to talk again.

"As you can see our relationship was more than a chase. It was a dance. A dance of love. One minute we were saving each other and the next…"

Another memory appeared. Batman and Selina were in different costumes. Batman began to kiss Selina by a gate.

All of a sudden the sound of police nearby alerted the couple and Selina pushed Batman away. Batman grinned and left with a bag of loot. Selina sighed thinking he had let her go. It was only then she realized that Batman had cuffed her to the gate.

Lobo was laughing at that.

"He got that chick good!" Lobo shouted.

Selina's eyes narrowed at the Czarnian.

"And yes there were other times we both would stab each other in the back when it suited our goals. But in the end, at least I had something that none of the other women in Bruce's life had."

"Which is?" Diana asked out of genuine curiosity.

Selina smirked.

"I was dependable. Bruce knew who I was and I knew who he was. We both accepted that."

As she spoke the mirrors shifted to show Bruce in bed with Selina.

"Yeah, we did it," Selina remarked at some of the looks of shock people were giving.

"That was amazing," Bruce said. He was out of breath.

"You weren't so bad yourself," Selina in the memory said as went up and began to nibble Bruce's year.

"You know I missed it when you had your hair long and blonde," Bruce flirted back. "I thought Blondes had more fun!"

Selina grinned.

"Ready to go again?"

Bruce grinned back.

"That was what our relationship was for awhile," Selina spoke. "Especially after Alfred died. I was the only person he had left. To him I was dependable. I was his rock, despite my checkered past and shady night job."

The group understood why Selina was considered his most stable relationship. All the other ones had turned sour. Selina and Bruce's however stayed the same. It was a constant ride of thrill and passion mixed with sexual tension.

"But as time went by, the passion was dying down. The chase was getting old. The save-you-save-me and screw-you-screw-me thing was running its clock. Soon we were faced with an important decision."

Bruce and Selina were in bed again. This time she was getting dressed.

"This was about two months ago," Selina explained.

The Selina in the memory grinned.

"Look who's smiling now," she teased.

Bruce quickly adopted a frown and Selina laughed.

"Selina," he said softly.

"I got to go Bruce, I got to catch a plane in three hours," she said.

"Selina," Bruce asked with seriousness in his voice. "Do you ever think what would happen…?"

Selina was curious.

"What would happen?"

"If…if we stopped this? You know take it to the next level? If you were to give up…"

"Wait what are you saying?" Selina asked hopefully.

"I…" but then Bruce realized he was being vulnerable and his face went cold.

"Never mind," he said.

"No what were you going to say Bruce?"

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" he asked in sudden coldness.

Selina looked legitimately hurt by that remark.

"Fine Bruce!" she said. "I'll go! If you don't want me in your life all you have to do is ask!"

And with that she darted out the door.

Bruce sighed.

"At that moment," the Selina in front of them explained. "Bruce realized he needed to stop this game. He was getting to close to me. Now that chase was winding down what was next? Either start a normal functioning relationship like normal couples have or push me away. Of course Bruce chose the latter because he decided he wanted to be alone. However, even the mightiest of men sometimes desire human contact…"

The scene then showed Selina once again in Bruce and on top of him.

"Good morning," she said half asleep.

Bruce grinned at her. She then proceeded to kiss his body and make her way down.

Bruce then noticed Selina was wearing a bracelet.

Immediately his hand grabbed her wrist not too gently.

Selina yelped.

"Easy Bruce, tone it down a little!"

"What," he said threateningly and got out of bed. "Is this?"

"O do not act like you care all of a sudden! You seemed to not have a problem last night!"

Bruce glared at her and looked at her with disgust.

"I trusted you Selina," he said in a tone not that different from what he said to Talia. Except this time he didn't sound as surprised.

"Do not play that card on me Bruce. We both know you are just using this as an excuse to kick me out again. You perfectly knew well who I am and what I do!"

"I thought I could change you Selina. I thought I could. But you are beyond saving. Get out before I-"

Selina suddenly kicked him across the room.

"You are a bastard! I never stole anything! I got this because it looked like the one in the museum! I was trying to test you to see if you would give me the benefit of the doubt. But no, you immediately assume I must have stolen it and only came to you for a booty call!"

Bruce was still looking at her suspiciously.

"You don't believe me? Call the museum. They will prove it is still there!"

Bruce's glare softened a little.

"Why are you doing this?"

Selina's angry face disappeared and she walked up to Bruce and began to gently stroke his chest.

"Because I thought maybe you were right. Maybe we could be together after all. That we would end this game of cat and mouse. I was willing to change to be with you. But I was not sure if you would change Bruce. You just prove you can't. You never will fully trust me Bruce. It is not whether I deserve it or not. I just know it will never work out."

Bruce did not respond. Selina got up sadly and called for a cab to pick her up.

For a while the two just stared at each other in a dead silence. After awhile, Selina checked her watch and made to leave.

"My cab should be getting here. I am sorry Bruce I go to go," she said, fighting back tears.

She made to leave. She was out the door when Bruce spoke finally.

"Selina…please…" he whispered.

Selina walked back in and gave him a look of pity.

"I am sorry Bruce, but I have to do what is best for me as well. Just please try to be happy for once. I fear you are going to die alone."

Once again at that revelation Bruce seemed to have collapsed. It seemed a recurring motif was everyone was telling him he would die alone. And it looked like it was coming true. Even Selina was leaving him.

The memory ended.

"In the biggest irony of all," Selina pointed out. "It was him, not me that killed the relationship. His paranoia and desire to sabotage every relationship had sunk ours the minute the excitement of the chase died down."

Diana sighed. She knew she was next. It had to be. She wasn't looking forward to reopening old wounds. But she had to be strong. She began to concentrate on her feelings for Tom.

"Well that's it. There you have it," Selina explained. "That is the tragedy known as Bruce's love life."

"What?" Diana asked surprised. Her voice a little higher than usual.

Superman caught on to the change of her pitch.

"Are you sure?" Superman asked. "There's no one else?"

"Of course I'm sure! I'm Bruce's love. Bruce has dated a lot of women, but only the handful I have shown had reached his heart."

Selina then looked at Diana.

"Why were you expecting something else _Princess_?" she said mockingly.

"No," Diana said, but not as confident as she liked to. She had not expected that. She had not expected her heart to be broken like that.

Shayera had her mouth open. This had to be a mistake. There was no way. Bruce and Diana, they had something special. Her husband was likeminded. He always thought Diana and Bruce had a thing. Had Bruce really been that heartless to string her along all this time and hint an attraction when there wasn't?

"That's cold…" John muttered.

Wally and Lobo were confused. They had no idea what was going on.

Dick was staring at Diana with shock. Never did he once think of Batman and Wonder Woman having something but seeing the look of hurt in Diana's eyes was causing him to reevaluate. But Bruce's own Realm of Love had showed the women he did love, and Diana wasn't one of them.

Selina seemed to enjoy the look of disappointment on Diana's face.

"It's time to get tested now! Wonder Woman, step forward!" Selina said in an almost taunting voice.

"She doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to!" Superman came to her defense. Diana didn't need any more of these taunts and insults. "Dick you go. You have loved Bruce like a father…"

"I am the manifestation of this Realm so I get to pick!" Selina shot back. "Diana step forward or let Batman die!"

Diana looked at Superman. She had no confidence in herself.

"I can't…"

Suddenly Diana felt a comforting hand behind her. She turned around to see J'onn who had remained quiet the whole time. She had almost forgotten he was there.

J'onn had stayed in the shadows when the memories played out. Mainly because he already lost two wives and just couldn't bear see Bruce lose all the women he ever loved.

"Diana," he whispered comfortingly. "You must. I believe in you."

That seemed to inspire some confidence for Diana who went up to Selina.

"I-I'm ready," she said nervously.

Superman was disgusted. He had watched Diana going from the strongest one out of the group to slowly breaking down into the mess she was right now.

That was cruel for Bruce to torture her like that. Sure Superman knew Bruce didn't mean to, but why would his own heart make Diana think her deepest desire was him only for his own heart to tell her he didn't love her afterwards?

Selina grinned.

"Your test takes place here," she explained. "The rest of us will go outside and wait."

"What do I have to do?"

Selina didn't answer but ushered everyone out of the house of mirrors. Superman looked back to try to give her an encouraging smile.

Diana sighed. She was alone now. She knew this test had something to do with love but how could she succeed? Selina probably picked her to not only torture her but ensure their failure.

After all, how can she feel any love after everything she just saw?

She came into this realm expecting to see some memories that would make her question her love for Tom, but instead they broke her heart.

After everything she had thought their relationship was, the ugly truth was out.

Batman didn't love her now and he never did.


	34. Diana's Choice

**I was so impressed by the amount of feedback I decided to spoil you all and update the next chapter.**

**WARNING: Gore and Character Deaths, lots of them!**

Diana was moving around the endless maze of mirrors. She was having a hard time navigating through it and was losing track of time.

What was she supposed to do? Selina was anything but helpful.

If it weren't for her own anger at how Selina taunted her, Diana wasn't sure if she would have the motivation to go on.

So what if Batman didn't love her? She would still prove to be a better person and still help him out. She didn't agree to this mission because she loved him but felt she owed at least one chance for her and the League to try to save him.

Just when she was about to punch a mirror in frustration she heard something. It sounded like a whistle.

BOOM!

The blast had caused the house to shake and Diana to cover her ears. She almost lost her balance.

"Hello there!" taunted a singsong voice from outside the fun house. Diana recognized that voice and her heartbeat picked up in horror.

Doctor Destiny had finally found a way in.

Diana desperately tried to find her through the maze. She could hear her friends fighting.

She was stuck in here and they were out dying. There would be time for this test later. The priority was stopping Destiny.

Unfortunately being in a maze of mirrors meant Diana had no clue where she was going. In frustration she attempted to fly through them but for some reasons he couldn't break it. These mirrors seemed indestructible.

"Fragger!" Diana heard Lobo swore right after a blast.

She was panicking now. She started to scream for her friends. She wanted to know what was going on.

Finally her cries were answered.

"_Diana,"_ J'onn said telepathically. _"Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine J'onn!"_ Dian screamed in her head. _"I'm lost in this maze! Help me out, I'm coming out!"_

"_Don't!"_ J'onn warned. _"You are better off hiding!"_

"_Don't be ridiculous!"_ Diana thought in her mind as she frantically pushed her way around trying to find an exit. The mirrors were giving her vertigo.

"_You need to say hidden Diana. We can't beat him head on. Lobo's already dead!"_

Diana paused at that. As much she was not too fond of the Czarnian she couldn't believe it. Lobo dead? Impossible.

She half expected to hear him swearing again but J'onn showed her a mental picture.

Diana reeled back in horror to what she saw. Lobo was on the ground. Destiny managed to somehow get a metal beam from the theme park through his body.

"_Dick and Wally are down; John's ring is out of power. Shayera and Superman are trying to distract him while I pull the others to safety. Diana, he's already got the Emblems of Fear and Avarice."_

Diana paused. That couldn't be good.

"_What about Selina?"_

"_She fled,"_ J'onn told her. _"She said she is powerless to fight him."_

Diana's rage picked up. Even though it wasn't the real Selina but a projection of Bruce's love, she was feeling anger and betrayal. Bruce's love already betrayed her. Now it had betrayed her friends.

"_I don't care J'onn I'm coming out!"_ Diana communicated as she believed she found a familiar path out.

But Diana never got a response. Instead she heard a familiar boom again.

This one was louder that Diana completely lost her balance and almost forgot which direction she was going. But what disturbed her the most in her mind, she could pick up the faintest scream.

"_J'onn?"_ Diana thought loudly.

No one answered her thoughts. To make things worse, the previous noise of battle outside was gone now.

"No," Diana cried and she ran as fast as she could.

Finally she could see light ahead and realized she was near the entrance. Flying like a missile, she shot out, nearly breaking down the door to the fun house.

What she saw horrified her. It almost made her collapse in shock.

Diana had seen the aftermath of battles before but this wasn't a battle, it was a massacre.

The carnival was virtually destroyed. It was a miracle the fun house was still standing.

Not too far outside was Lobo's body. His usual wicked gleaming eyes blank, his mouth agape.

Diana couldn't help but kneel and close his eyelids for him. Even scum like him deserved proper burial.

She then went ahead through a trail of blood.

To her horror Wally and Dick were lying in a corner unattended. Both were bleeding heavily. They must have bled to death.

Dick's face was pale while the usual childlike grin from Wally's face was gone.

They were still too young to die like this.

What Diana saw not too far nearly caused her to puke.

J'onn was on his back. He had transformed back to his true Martian form. His limbs stood stiff and straight up like a wounded animal. His usual orange eyes were white. A look of horror on his face.

Diana could only guess Doctor Destiny must have done something telepathic to cause J'onn like that.

She immediately rushed to his side. It couldn't be. J'onn couldn't be dead.

"J…J'onn," Diana said trying to fight back the tears. He could never die. He wouldn't.

J'onn's body gave no response.

Diana sobbed. She couldn't take it.

She clutched one of J'onn's hands. They were stiff and cold.

"Please…Please…" she begged. He couldn't leave her not like this.

A glowing light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was green. She had forgotten about the rest.

Reluctantly she had rushed up to it.

It was John, he was still breathing but it was ragged. Like Lobo he had a piece of metal cutting through his body. John was clutching a lifeless Shayera in his arms.

"John!" Diana shouted and ran up to him.

John didn't seem to notice her.

"John!" Diana shouted again.

John looked at her.

"He…he…took them…he took them…all" John said, coughing whatever blood he had left in his body. "I'm…sorry…"

John's eyes began to show tears.

"Don't be," Diana said in a desperate attempt to comfort him. "You're going to be alright…"

John coughed. He knew he wasn't. He was dying and his own wife was in his arms dead.

"If you get out of here…tell Rex, his dad and mom love him very much," John said looking Diana in her eyes.

"Don't say that, you are going to be alright!" Diana said in complete denial.

But it was too late. John had given his last breath and his eyes rolled back. His dead body still cradling Shayera's.

Diana just stiffened at that. This can't be happening. It had to be a nightmare or a dream. This was a trick.

Diana then noticed above her there was another body hanging lifelessly on a broken down ride in the theme park. It looked like it had been casually tossed aside on it.

"No!" Diana shouted. Not Clark too.

She flew up to the top of the ride but her eyes didn't deceive her. There was no mistaking that big S. Superman was dead. And this time, she knew it was true.

There was a body for her to see.

"Kal," Diana said, her eyes streaming tears. This was worse than the last time she saw him die. At least she didn't see his body so battered and broken like that. His face colorless.

She placed a hand on his cold face. Even Superman was dead.

This wasn't possible. This can't be happening.

"This is all my fault…" Diana said. She had to blame it on herself. Why did she survive when the rest didn't?

"I…I took too long to find the Emblem…If I didn't we probably would have been able to make it out…we would have made it."

Superman gave no answer. His body still remained cold and stiff like a statue.

"I failed…" Diana said as she bowed her head. She wanted to die now. She couldn't go back in the real world. She had failed her friends, the League, and Bruce. This was all her fault. Doctor Destiny had won.

Btu then Diana started to feel anger boil up in her. Not that different than the anger she saw Bruce had in his final fight with the Joker.

Doctor Destiny had killed her friends. He was going to pay. She didn't care about the mission anymore. She was going to ensure that monster would not hurt her or anyone else again.

With a new found purpose Diana flew up to the air violently.

"Where are you?" she yelled at the Realm. He had to be around here somewhere.

"Come out and fight me you coward!" she demanded.

No answer. Just an eerie dead silence.

Diana in frustration and rage slammed to the ground hard.

"I'm waiting!" she yelled. "You still got one left! Come and get me!"

She didn't care that she had no plan right now. She just wanted to make him hurt.

Once again no response. Diana was all alone now.

Sighing angrily she made to turn around only to find she was staring at a skull like face with gleaming yellow eyes.

She yelped but before she could react darkness overcame her.

"Polo," she heard Doctor Destiny mock in the faint distance.

00000

Diana awoke to a bright light in her face. She tried to shield her eyes with her hands but found she couldn't move.

That was enough to startle her and snap her senses back.

She looked around and realized she was in one of the holding cells of the Metro Tower. What was she doing here? They only held really dangerous prisoners in these types of cells, restrained with Apokoliptan technology that Mister Miracle had stolen.

Then everything began to hit back to Diana like a train.

She remembered seeing all the bodies and the blood. John's last words. The look of horror on J'onn's face. How Lobo seemed so lifeless and helpless. The guilt…

Wait why was she here then?

Last time she checked, she was in Bruce's mind.

Oh Hera, what happened to him now? Was he dead too? Not him as well. Too much blood had been spilt.

"Oh good, you're awake," taunted a voice.

Diana's eyes narrowed with murderous anger. She recognized that voice. Where was he?

Diana found him in the corner of the holding cell.

She tried to force herself out but the restraints were too powerful.

"Struggling is useless," Doctor Destiny remarked. "And don't bother calling for help. No one is supposed to come down here for another day, per J'onn's orders. He didn't want others to realize how he had arranged Batman to be killed when you failed the mission."

Diana glared at him.

"What did you do with Bruce?" she demanded.

Doctor Destiny just grinned.

"Don't worry; I brought us out of his heart through the transconscious articulator. I reprogrammed the machine that his body is hooked up to for life support so it won't kill him. A part of me is still connected to his heart though. He is still what you would say, offline…"

"Then why are you out here?" Diana asked. She felt like the more she could get him talking, the more she could distract him and give her time to think of a way to escape. There would be time to grieve and avenge her friends later.

"Well you see, I had to leave the Emblems still in Batman's heart. Don't worry, I put defenses around them so I can go back in his heart and claim them when I am ready. The problem is I can't claim them and fully become tangible if I don't have all of them. Where is the last Emblem?"

Diana smirked evilly. Good. So he hadn't found the last one either. There was still time. She knew if she lied to him and told him where it is he probably would kill her seeing he didn't need her anymore. Maybe if she told the truth and said she didn't know he might free her to try to find it for him. She would use that opportunity to escape…

Diana all of a sudden felt a painful shock go out her body. Doctor Destiny had shocked her with orange light.

"Tell me," Doctor Destiny said coolly. "I may not be in physical form yet, but I have been connected to Batman's heart for so long, as long as I stay connected, I can hurt you still."

Diana glared at him.

"Bite me," she threatened.

Doctor Destiny responded with another blast of shock.

"Is that all you got?" Diana asked. She was doing it in memory of Shayera. It was something she would say.

Doctor Destiny grinned.

"Not that it isn't. But I'm on a tight schedule and you seem to be stronger than a lot of your friends. Especially Superman. Do you know he practically begged me to kill him and put him out of his misery?" Doctor Destiny taunted.

Diana attempted to head butt him in rage but he easily avoided it.

"Like I said, I'm on a tight schedule. You leave me no choice."

Before Diana could ask, Doctor Destiny had slithered away.

That gave her time to think. There had to be a design flaw to these restraints. There had to be. Think!

But as quick as he left, Doctor Destiny was back again except he was pushing something into the holding cell.

It was a gurney with a body on it. The body of Bruce Wayne.

Diana's eyes immediately lit up in shock.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing yet," Doctor Destiny denied. "Dear old Brucie here is still asleep."

With that Doctor Destiny slapped the bruised face of Bruce. He was still hooked up to a life support machine Doctor Destiny had wheeled through. His heart was beeping slowly as shown on the monitor.

"You see," Doctor Destiny explained. "I do regret killing all your friends too soon. I know you can tolerate pain, but can you tolerate when it is brought on others? Even on the man you love?

Diana glared angrily at that accusation. How dare he bring that up!

"You don't know what you are talking about…"

"Oh I do!" Doctor Destiny interrupted; he then began to proceed to wrap tight straps around Bruce's body.

"This is to ensure he doesn't try to break out. Not that he will have any strength left. I'm going to let him wake up but I will still be connected to his heart. That way he can be awake when I inflict pain on him."

Diana's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't…"

"Oh I most certainly would. But I rather not. All you need to do is tell me where you placed the last Emblem and we can avoid all this. I promise I will let him die peacefully."

Diana looked unsure. After everything that happened, she didn't want to see Bruce get tortured in front of her. Enough was enough. Btu still she couldn't quite think of a lie on top of her head. She just couldn't. Seeing her own friends lifeless bodies just made her unable to think of a plan.

"Look, I never won it over. I was in the middle of my test when you came. I don't know. Please," Diana begged. She was out of options now. "Please just leave him alone."

Doctor Destiny gave a fake sympathetic smile.

"I want to believe you dear, I really do. But I'm sorry I don't."

The heart rate monitor started to pick up.

"Good he's waking up!" Doctor Destiny said with delight. "I'll leave some time for you to catch up and rethink your decision."

"It's the truth!" Diana protested. "Use my lasso!"

Doctor Destiny sighed.

"Believe me I would, but you fortunately lost it somewhere in the Realm of Love in your failed attempt to save your friends."

Diana looked at her waist and to her horror realized she had dropped it. She had gotten it out ready to fight but the sight of the bloodshed must have caused her to drop it and forget about it.

Doctor Destiny had already left. Bruce's body was stirring.

"Bruce?" Diana called unsure. If this was going to be the end she wanted to at least talk to him one last time. Let him know how truly sorry she was for everything.

Another small part of her was tempted to ask him something. A question about something she wasn't sure about. But she knew at the current time that wasn't important. The priority was trying to find a way out.

"Bruce can you hear me?"

"D-Diana?" asked a weak voice and Bruce half opened his eyes.

"It's alright Bruce, I'm here," she said to try to comfort him. This may be the last time she talked to him.

Suddenly Bruce seemed to realize he was restrained.

"What did you do?" he asked angrily.

"It wasn't me, it was Doctor Destiny."

Immediately Bruce's eyes shot open.

He saw Diana was being restrained against the wall.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are the boys alright?"

Diana could not help but admire him. After everything his priority still was the safety of two boys he risked his life to save.

"They were alright when I last saw them. The police took care of them."

Batman let out a sigh of relief.

"What happened? I remembered Doctor Destiny appearing. He said something about attacking my heart?"

Diana sighed; there was no way of keeping the truth.

"He had attacked your emotional center Bruce. You were in a coma for a week," Diana explained. "J'onn tried to get you out but he couldn't Doctor Destiny was too buried deep within you."

Bruce glared angrily. It hurt his pride how Doctor Destiny had crippled him like that.

"We were faced with a difficult choice. If we let you live, Doctor Destiny would eventually fully consume your heart and would become powerful beyond what we could imagine…"

"You should have all killed me then!" Bruce said angrily.

"We were trying to help!" Diana replied angrily. "Superman and the other founders and Dick and Lobo have all died trying to help you!"

"What?" Bruce asked. "Clark's dead? Dick? Wally? Shayera?"

He was looking at Diana with disbelief. Not more deaths because of him. There couldn't be.

Diana realized she had revealed too much. But she couldn't deny the truth.

She slowly looked down. She couldn't say it out loud though. She just couldn't.

The look on Bruce's face was horrifying though. The man who never gave up looked at loss. He looked like he had no hope. Tears began to stream down Bruce's face.

"You…you didn't have to do that? Why?"

Diana sighed.

"Because we felt you deserved one last chance to live, especially after everything-"

"No I didn't! I deserved to die-"

Don't you dare say that!" Diana shrieked, tears rolling down her face. "We went to your own heart Bruce, we saw everything. We know you definitely don't deserve us to have given up on you…"

"Time's up!" a voice gloated.

Bruce's eyes narrowed. He began to struggle against his restraints.

"Your body doesn't possess the energy to break free Batman," Destiny mocked. "Not even your mighty willpower can help you."

"Leave him alone! You have done enough!" Diana shouted.

Doctor Destiny grinned.

"I would if you just tell me where it is."

"What does he want Diana?" Bruce demanded.

Diana just shook her head.

"It's a long story Bruce. The thing is I don't know where it is…"

"Liar!" Doctor destiny shouted and he began to shock Bruce.

Bruce yelped in pain.

"Stop it!" Diana yelled.

"Don't…urgh…tell him anything DianARRGH!" Bruce screamed. It seemed to hurt him a lot.

"Tell me Wonder Woman, and the pain will stop!" Doctor Destiny ordered.

"I don't know where it is!" Diana begged.

Doctor Destiny just gave her a disbelieving look and he tried again.

For what felt like hours Diana watched in horror as Doctor Destiny kept torturing Bruce. Bruce looked like he was barely alive. Diana's voice had long gone hoarse from yelling and screaming over the sounds of Bruce's. This had to stop.

But Doctor Destiny didn't seem to believe her.

Doctor Destiny was about to shock another bolt at Bruce when the man seemed to found a second wind of energy.

"She doesn't know Dee!" Bruce yelled, but there were hints of begging and plea in his voice. "Your quarrel is with me! Let her go!"

Doctor Destiny paused.

"You know what? I already long ago believed she doesn't know now. However I'm having so much fun doing this!"

"Stop it!" Diana yelled.

Doctor Destiny ignored her and his fists glowed blue.

He then proceeded to mercilessly beat the nearly unconscious Bruce. The heart rate monitor was going off the charts.

"Stop it!" Diana begged.

"Diana shut up!" Bruce yelled. His face was on the verge of being unrecognizable. Doctor Destiny with his added powers had gained a lot of strength and was abusing his powers. Doctor Destiny was also using his powers to keep Bruce from slipping into unconsciousness. Doctor Destiny wanted Bruce to feel this.

"Stop it please!" Diana begged.

Doctor Destiny finally paused; he gave Diana a curious look.

"What will you give me in return?"

"Don't give him anything!" Bruce yelled.

"Hush!" Doctor Destiny ordered. "What will you give me to stop me from beating him to death?"

Diana sighed. There was no other choice but she could not stand by and let another person in her life die because of her. Someone was going to live out this.

"You can take my heart," Diana said. "Bruce has probably hidden the last Emblem well. I will lower my defenses. You can consume my emotional center, only if you promise to leave him alone."

Doctor Destiny's eyes perked up in interest.

"Diana don't! You can't trust him! Let him deal with me!"

"I'm sorry Bruce," Diana said with pleading eyes. "This is the only way."

Doctor Destiny walked up to her.

"You do have strong emotions as well. Almost as strong as his. If you let me into your heart, I promise I will let him go."

"Unharmed and alive?" Diana asked. She knew better to accept him for his word but what choice did she have?

"I promise," Doctor Destiny smiled. It was like making a deal with Hades.

"Diana!" Bruce shouted. He was practically trying to break through his restraints on pure will but it was failing. Still he was trying even though he looked like he was about to pass out.

"NO!" he practically screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'm sorry Bruce," Diana said softly.

"Why? You don't deserve this!" Bruce asked.

Diana sighed. She knew this was probably going to be the last time she talked to him. There was no use lying anymore. It was time to come clean. Finally acknowledge the feelings that had been revealed to her under the Black Mercy.

"Because…I… love you!" Diana shouted as she started to sob. The truth really did hurt. "Even though you don't love me, I still love you!"

And with that she couldn't look at him anymore and sobbed.

"A suitable answer," she heard Doctor Destiny say before her world went black.

00000

Diana looked up confused at the response to find she was no longer in the holding room. She was on the floor. She looked around. There were mirrors everywhere.

She got up.

Where was Bruce? Where was Doctor Destiny? Did he trap her in this to mock her?

"Diana!" she heard a voice call from afar. A familiar voice. A voice of a man she thought dead.

Diana looked around frantic. This wasn't possible. Superman was dead.

"That's it, I'm going in!" she heard the voice and the sound of someone rushing through.

Before Diana knew it, someone in red and blue was approaching her.

"Diana!" Superman shouted as he realized how scared she looked. She was cornered against the wall like a frightened animal.

"Who are you?" Diana asked.

"What?" Superman asked alarmed.

"You're dead! Stay away from me!" she yelled and tried to find a way around him.

"Diana what are you talking-"

Before Superman could finish Diana had knocked him back with one hard punch.

She quickly dodged his big build and fled, finding her way out of the House of Mirrors.

She ran outside to find to her shock she was not alone.

The rest of the group was standing outside looking alarmed. Even Lobo seemed to show concern.

"Diana?" J'onn asked gently. "Are you alright?"

"This is a trick!" Diana yelled. "You are all dead! I saw you die!"

"Diana!" Shayera tried to explain. "It was part of your test!"

Dick looked at Selina.

"Tell her!"

Selina seemed to be enjoying Diana's frantic behavior.

"You're friends speak the truth Diana. They didn't die. What you just experienced was a test of love. How far would you be willing to go for it…"

"This is a trick!" Diana demanded. "This just another way of Doctor Destiny torturing me…"

"Diana," Superman said and he grabbed her by the arms as he appeared behind her from the entrance.

"Don't touch me!" Diana hissed and broke away. However at that moment, J'onn's eyes glowed orange and Diana passed out.

"What did you do?" Superman asked alarmed as he picked up her lifeless body.

"I just knocked her out," J'onn explained calmly. "She had experienced a horrible hallucination that her mind was still erratic. It is best if we let it rest for five minutes. She will be calmer and more rational again."

And J'onn was true to his word. Within five minutes, Diana began to stir again. She half opened her eyes.

"Wh…what happened?" she asked groggily.

"Hey Di," Superman said as he helped her to her feet. Diana was looking at him in surprise.

"You're dead…" she exclaimed.

"Di!" Dick explained. "You're test involved a hallucination. Nothing you saw since we left you with the mirrors was real."

"The boy speaks the truth," vouched Selina who looked bored and was looking at her nails.

Diana's eyes narrowed.

"Why did you do that? You had no right!"

"You knew what you were getting into Princess! The others did the same thing! Besides, I don't know why you are so mopey, you passed!"

Diana was still glaring.

Selina rolled her eyes.

"Did any of you notice the common theme of Bruce's love interests?"

"That they're all hot babes with issues?" Lobo asked sarcastically.

Superman glared. His fiancé didn't have issues.

Dick was glaring too. Barbara didn't deserve to be reduced as a babe with issues.

Selina growled in frustration.

"That he still loved all of them! Even Andrea who he is now disgusted and horrified with! That is the greatest kind of love. Loving someone even when they prove to not deserve it or love you back. It is so funny that Bruce acts cold and aloof when in actuality he is probably the most loving man ever."

Selina then looked at the rest of the group.

"He loves all of you. Even when you all broke ties he still does. Sure he is stubborn and refuses to admit it, but deep down, Bruce still loves each and every one of you. Diana was perfect for this test because she was willing to admit her love for Bruce, even when she saw evidence he didn't love her."

Diana showed pain at that remark. It was bad enough that she had to go through that personal hell but Selina was making it worse by bringing up that Batman didn't love her again.

She felt like a fool right now. She loved a man who didn't love her. Some woman, let alone Amazon, she was. She was a disgrace.

"I passed," Diana said coldly with hints of anger. "Can you give us the Emblem and we get out of here?"

Selina just gave another grin.

"You're going to like this Emblem, trust me."

Violet seemed to glow out of nowhere above them. Pulling out her whip, Selina snapped at the light and brought a glowing object to herself.

Selina revealed the object was a gold locket glowing violet with a heart on it. The group recognized it immediately. It was the locket that Batman had to remind him of Andrea and they're doomed love.

Selina placed the locket in the hands of Diana, who looked at Selina angrily.

Why did Bruce's love feel the need to mock her?

"Go on open it!" Selina encouraged.

Diana ignored Selina's request and made to leave.

"Come on let's go," she said. The sooner they got out of here the better.

"Diana I think you should…"

"I have every right to do what I want Kal!" Diana snapped back. She didn't want to open the locket and be reminded that Bruce loved other women but not her.

"Diana," a voice pleaded.

Diana turned in shock. It was Selina.

No longer was the manifestation mocking or taunting her. Instead Selina was giving her a very sympathetic and encouraging smile.

"Pleas open it. This Emblem is different than the rest. It contains Bruce's deepest secret of the heart."

Diana had had enough games and was tempted to just ignore Selina, but her overall curiosity and the unexpected look of compassion Selina was giving won her over.

Nervously she stared at the locket in her hand. With her other hand she slowly opened it.

Inside was a picture of a beautiful woman. A woman with raven black hair and blue sapphire eyes that showed confidence mixed with love. Diana was staring at herself.

Before Diana could even process that, violet light shot out of the locket and began to surround the group.

Images were being shown all around them. Diana recognized them immediately. They were all the memories that Bruce had with her.

The group watched as an image of them dancing in Paris zoomed by. They focused awhile on another image of them kissing in a restaurant.

"Get some!" Lobo shouted.

This time no one told him to shut up. They were cheering as well. They were all mesmerized what they saw. What the memories were showing them was beautiful.

Dick couldn't help but smile. He had no idea that Diana had this affect on Bruce. He seemed a different person. A much happier person.

Superman was beaming; finally Diana was getting her faith rewarded.

Shayera and John could not help but laugh at a memory of Bruce singing at a nightclub in a Batman costume.

"Why is he doing that?" Wally asked curiously.

Diana could not help but smile. Her eyes were drenched with tears not of sadness, but of joy. After everything she had been led to believe, Batman loved her.

"He did it for me," Diana said softly.

Finally one image came up and Diana bowed her head with shame. It was the last time she talked to Bruce. More like yelled at him. It was the last fight they had when he quit the League. She already had seen it and didn't want to see it again but she couldn't help but look at it again.

When she saw how Bruce crumbled at her claim that he would die alone, Diana saw not just anger and a loss of willpower, but a broken heart. She had hurt him that day.

"Even after that, he still loved you Diana," Selina explained. "You had an effect on him that no one else did. You don't belie me? Watch this."

One last image was floating around. Diana recognized it as taking place right after the final battle with Darkseid. She barely even remembered it and was puzzled why it was here. Diana was leading him to the med bay.

"Why did you give them a head start?" Diana saw herself tease Batman in the memory.

"I was trying to be nice for once," Batman grumbled. He took off his cowl and winced.

"Are you alright?" Diana in the memory asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Bruce said stubbornly. "Dodging an omega beam kind of wears you out."

Diana grinned.

Bruce broke away and began to fiddle the med cabinet for what he needed.

"You know, I always thought you had an effect on me with your imposing will and methods. But now it seems like I'm finally starting to have an effect on you. Giving criminals a head start and showing some care and consideration for others? Who knows, maybe you might actually smile some more."

"Don't count on it," Bruce grumbled before turning around. He was only a little taller than Diana.

Diana in the memory was looking up to his eyes grinning.

Finally Bruce cracked a smile.

"See I told you I was starting to have an effect on you!" Diana gloated in the memory.

"You've done more than that," Bruce remarked causing Diana to pause. "I'm glad I have you in my life."

Bruce and Diana just stared at each other's eyes in the memory. They weren't saying anything but nothing needed to be said.

The love was in their eyes. The two really loved each other and Bruce had meant everything he had said.

Diana had totally forgotten that memory. How could she? Had she been that stubborn to not admit her love for him after they drifted apart that she suppressed memories like that?

For a while, the memory remained frozen at that image of Batman without his cowl staring into the eyes of Wonder Woman. Finally like the rest, that violet image began to fade away.

"You are different than all the other women Bruce has loved Diana. Not only do you make him feel happy," Selina explained. "But you make him a better person and accept him for who he is."

"But why?" Diana asked. "Why would he keep this buried? Why would he rather be with women who he pushes away or hurt him?"

Selina sighed.

"Because Batman is afraid of you," Selina remarked.

"What?"

"He's terrified of you. After Andrea first broke his heart, Batman vowed to never love again. Of course he is human so he couldn't keep the life of a monk forever. However he often chose to be with women who either couldn't handle his life, or weren't the best women to be in a stable relationship with. In a way he always tries to sabotage his love life because he believes he needs to be alone to be Batman and thus picked relationships doomed to fail."

Diana sighed sadly and closed the locket. She should have known better to get her hopes up. Bruce would have sabotaged their relationship like the others. They couldn't form a stable one.

"But you, Diana," Selina continued. "You are the one of the few women who he could keep a normal functioning relationship and accept him for who he is. And that terrifies him. He is not afraid that he will sabotage your relationship but more afraid that you will actually stay with him and make him happy. That is why you are different than all the rest."

Dian couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time Bruce had these feelings of love buried deep within him and he never expressed him. But then again she should be one to judge. She was guilty of the same thing.

"Why didn't you show me this with the rest?" Diana asked, a little angry for the temporary heartbreak she had to go through.

Selina grinned without remorse.

"If I showed you that, you wouldn't be able to take the test. True love comes at no conditions. Batman doesn't think you love him and he still loves you just like you did in that test. It is why you are worthy to carry this Emblem. You are all love. It is why you are the one worthy to win Batman's heart."

Diana didn't know what to make with this. The euphoria that all her friends were still alive and after everything she had thought, Bruce had loved her was wearing down. She still felt doubt. What about Tom? What would happen when Bruce waked up? Would he tell her the truth? It was one thing that she knew he loved her. But would he show it to her? She couldn't just blindly open her heart to his if he didn't do it to her on his own accord.

These thoughts were screaming through Diana's head that she forgot the rest were there.

Finally J'onn reluctantly spoke up.

"We have all the Emblems. We need to get going."

"Yes of course," Selina said and began to walk away. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Superman asked unsure.

"We're going to church so we can wake Batman up," Selina said before turning away and continuing to walk.

**That's all the Emblems. I was surprised no one called me out for this but if you look in Ch. 14 I believe I foreshadowed who would be tested for each realm.**


	35. Death

**The title of this chapter should be enough of a warning for what follows.**

The group followed Selina as she walked to the outskirts of the theme park.

Superman felt a little unease.

"Uh Selina?" he asked.

Selina turned around.

"Yes?" she asked a little flirtatiously.

Superman paused for an awkward second.

"If we go back outside Doctor Destiny will probably ambush us."

Selina grinned.

"We aren't going outside, like I said we are going to church."

And with that she continued to walk.

Superman looked at J'onn.

"She is taking us back to the emotional core, the Cathedral we were in earlier," the Martian explained.

"How is she going to do that without going outside?"

J'onn shrugged his shoulders.

"How much time we have?"

J'onn smiled slightly.

"About a half of day. Don't worry Superman, we made it."

Superman couldn't help but smile. They did it. Against all odds they had won. Batman was going to live. Boy did Superman have to tell him some things he should have said long ago.

Dick was feeling nervous. He was glad they were saving Bruce but he knew it wasn't going to be easy. It would take awhile for them to heal old wounds. He just hoped Bruce still had it in his heart to forgive him for not understanding and being impatient. At the same time he hoped Bruce would have it in himself to keep his own heart more open to others now.

Wally, who was walking next to Dick, was just glad to be out of this place. The first thing he was going to do was eat a bunch of food, and take Linda out to that nice restaurant she always wanted to go.

Lobo was beaming. He was going to make a lot of money when he sold that machine now that they were done using it and at the same time was going to be on the Justice League.

Shayera and John were bringing up the back.

"So what are you going to do when Bruce wakes up?" Shayera asked John.

John sighed.

"I'm going to apologize for misjudging him. He still has made a lot of mistakes and some bonehead calls, but he still had his right intentions."

"He at least doesn't make as many bonehead calls as you," Shayera teased.

John glared for a second but smiled.

"I've been thinking…" he remarked.

"About what?" Shayera asked.

"I think Rex could use some brothers and sisters…"

Diana was up front next to Superman but she wasn't in the mood for talking.

She was thinking and feeling conflicted. She didn't know what to do.

She felt relieved she finally stopped denying those feelings she had felt and was ecstatic that Bruce felt the same way she did, but she still loved Tom.

And Bruce was no Tom. Whereas Bruce feared her, Tom loved her and wanted her in his life. She didn't know what to do.

Tom had opened his heart on his own accord; Bruce had his forcibly opened by Doctor Destiny.

She couldn't commit to a man who couldn't commit to her.

"Feeling better?" Superman asked gently.

"Yes of course," Diana said. It was partly true.

"What are you going to do?" he asked a little bit bluntly.

Diana looked into his eyes and sighed. She couldn't brush him off anymore.

"I don't know. I still love Tom and he proposed to me. He has shown he is willing to share his life with me but Bruce hasn't. I just saw what he feels, not what he wants."

Superman sighed.

"Well if anything this mission has taught me, with Bruce, it's a two way effort. Sometimes he needs a little push. We weren't exactly helpful and understanding to him as well. The blame falls with all of us."

Diana nodded in agreement.

They were so fortunate they were all given a second chance with Batman. Hopefully he would realize how lucky he was.

At that moment Selina stopped.

A violet portal had appeared in front of her.

"We are here," she said cryptically. And before anyone could ask, she jumped through the portal.

J'onn turned to the rest of the group and nodded and he too entered the portal.

One by one the rest of the group did the same.

0000000

Diana walked through the portal to find herself standing in a familiar place.

She turned around to see Dick and Wally appearing from where the violet light was shining through the stain glass window in the rear wall of the cathedral they had entered earlier.

They were back in the emotional core.

The different colored stain glass windows were all shining brighter than they last saw them.

Finally Shayera and John had appeared from the violet light cast from the window.

"Good, the rest are coming," Selina said.

The group turned and noticed movement was happening from the other six lights from the windows.

Each manifestation was appearing out of their respected colors.

On one side was Andrea, in her full costume, the Bat, and the Playboy are looking stoically at the group.

On the other stood the Old Man, Terry, and Alfred all smiling with pride.

Selina led the group toward the center, passing an altar. She joined the other six manifestations who formed a semicircle around the group with the altar on the other side.

At that moment, there was a fluttering sound.

Alarmed the League looked around only to see the familiar swarm of bats flying around.

Alfred raised a hand.

"Don't be afraid," he assured. "These bats are just a security system. They detect when someone has entered here. It's what allowed Master Bruce's heart to keep Doctor Destiny out of here. As long as he was detected, he couldn't be allowed in here."

The group let out a sigh of relief. They were safe from Doctor Destiny. They were going to win this.

"Now, let's begin."

Andrea walked toward the group and made a beeline to Shayera.

"Present the Emblem of Rage," she demanded.

Shayera gave Andrea a look of distrust but saw the reassurance in J'onn's face

She pulled the rose that was tucked in her belt. It was still glowing brilliantly blood red.

Andrea gripped it in her scythe free hand.

"You all thought that Batman was emotionless, when in reality he was anything but. He was always angry. An undying, unsatisfying rage at the world. You, Shayera Hol have learned that Batman was able to keep it in control by using it as fuel for his war on crime. You have accepted your rage and used it as a tool like Batman. You are worthy of this Emblem."

And with that, Andrea handed Shayera the rose while backing away again. Shayera for a second seemed to have glowed red like her Emblem but it was only a second.

Next the Playboy stepped forward who did not look too please on who he had to talk to.

The Playboy led a reluctant Lobo to Shayera's right.

"Give me the Emblem of Avarice," the Playboy demanded.

Lobo glared.

"No!"

"Give it to me!" the Playboy demanded.

Lobo grinned.

"Make me!"

"Lobo!" Superman warned.

Lobo sighed and gave the orange glowing pearls to the Playboy.

"I was gonna…" he claimed.

The Playboy sighed with annoyance.

"You all thought Batman didn't want anything, but like all of you, there is something he would trade anything for. His deepest desire was to have his parents again. A desire so deep that he wouldn't have given it up, if it were not for the people in his life. You were supposed to earn this Emblem by learning how Batman gave up his desires by the help of other people in his life. It is through others you overcome greed, not because you're too greedy for greed's sake."

The Playboy was giving Lobo a look of disgust which seemed to please Lobo.

"Ya just mad 'cause yar test couldn't handle the Main Man!"

The Playboy gave an annoyed grunt and forcibly placed the pearls in Lobo's hands.

For a second Lobo glowed orange and like Shayera faced the altar.

Dick and Wally knew they were next but while they were watching Lobo fight with the Playboy, they didn't notice the Bat had disappeared.

When they turned around they discovered the Bat was gone.

All of a sudden clawed hands clenched on their shoulders causing them to jump.

"My turn…" hissed the Bat and he led Dick and Wally to Lobo's left, making sure they faced the altar.

"Show me the Emblem," the Bat ordered.

Dick produced the yellow gun and Wally held the two bullets in his hand.

"You all thought Batman was never scared but you were wrong. Batman was always afraid. And that is why he was the real Master of Fear. He knew what Fear was like having to live with it every day. You two understood that being afraid is nothing to be ashamed of. It is doing something when you are afraid that makes you brave."

For a brief second Wally and Dick glowed yellow. The Bat then snatched the bullets and the gun from their hands and loaded the two bullets into the gun. The gun shined even brighter for a second and then he presented it to the two.

"Take it…" he hissed.

Dick hesitated but Wally grabbed it. He worked with the police and knew how to handle guns.

Both Dick and Wally stood facing the altar.

The Old Man whacked John with the cane.

"Hey," John complained.

The Old Man said nothing and forcibly led John to the middle and to the left of Wally.

"The Emblem," he barked with an outstretch hand.

John scowled and gave him the green glowing green battarang. The Old Man clutched it tightly and gave a sneer.

"You all had given up on Batman and thought he was beyond saving which was ironic because he never gave up on you. Despite the cynicism Bruce was a stubborn man who wouldn't ever give up until his heart stopped."

That stung a little deep at the group.

"But you, Green Lantern, had understood what motivated Batman like that which is again ironic because you weren't his biggest fan. Batman never gives up because he always found something worth fighting for in every fight."

And with that, the Old Man gave John his Emblem back. The League couldn't tell if he flashed green because he already was glowing that color.

Terry hopped over to Superman and energetically led him next to John.

"Can I see that Emblem for a sec, Supes?" Terry asked eagerly.

Superman produced the torn red cloth which was still inexplicably glowing blue.

"You guys thought Bruce didn't have time for hope but you are wrong. Rage and Willpower may have helped in each fight, but Hope was what got him to continue to fight every day. And it was because of people like all you, especially you Superman, that even Bruce had a light of Hope, even if it was a small light.

Terry then placed the cloth in Superman's big hands. Superman had an aura of blue around him for a brief second.

"Mister J'onnz, if you please," Alfred asked politely as he beckoned J'onn to go next to Superman.

J'onn handed him the handkerchief.

Alfred cleared his throat.

"You all thought Master Bruce didn't care but it was quite the opposite; he cared for everyone. Even when he was in pain with his own emotional burdens, he still cared and placed others over his own well being. You Mister J'onnz understand that and are thus worthy to bear this Emblem."

J'onn glowed indigo for a parting second.

Diana knew where she was going to go and didn't even wait for Catwoman to lead her. She took her place next to J'onn.

Catwoman didn't even ask and just snatched the Emblem out of her hand.

"Despite everything that had happened, Bruce still kept falling in love. Even though he buried and feared it, he still loved without condition. That in itself is the greatest kind of love. It is why you Diana had passed the test. Your unconditional love for him, your friends, family, and the earth is strong enough to be able to hold Batman's heart."

Diana felt a brief warmth around her when Selina gave her the Emblem back and knew she must have glowed violet for a second.

Selina then leaned in and whispered something to her.

"When you get out, you both still have a choice," she warned.

However before Diana could think about that statement, Alfred had stepped forward in front of the group, standing next to the altar.

"Bearing an Emblem doesn't just mean literally holding it. It means understanding a little bit of Bruce's heart. And because you understand him, a little bit of Master Bruce resides in all of you. A heart is not just strengthened by the power of the emotions, but by the people in your life. Master Bruce never realized this but he was never alone. He had good friends and family."

Many of the group bowed their heads thinking they were unworthy to receive praise.

"Don't feel so guilty anymore. You all risked your life to save Bruce and also have learned what it is like to be him. You are truly some of the most important people in his life. Just promise me you won't leave him. He may try to leave all of you, but he needs you. He needed you before, he needs you now, and he will need you in the future."

Wally was a little confused by the metaphors Alfred was saying but kept his mouth shut out of respect unlike Lobo who was muttering he was here for the action.

As Alfred spoke, each Emblem began to glow brighter.

"And now it's time," Alfred explained.

A beam of light shot out of each Emblem. They all fired into a little hole on the altar. The faint sound of something unlocking was heard.

"What's going on?" Dick asked.

Alfred smiled.

"In here is Batman," he explained as the altar opened to reveal a body draped in the cowl lying inside it. It looked so much like Batman if he all of a sudden was buried to rest in his costume. It unnerved some of him how lifeless he looked.

"Place the Emblems here and the light will turn on in this Heart of Darkness," Alfred explained.

"I have a question," Shayera asked.

Alfred gave her a look.

"Well…is Bruce going to be aware of what we did when he wakes up?"

Alfred sighed.

"He will be aware of some things but not everything. Even though he is not awake, he could feel you. He didn't hear or see anything you said but he could feel you. That's all he'll know. He will have no idea what went on inside here other than you were here."

Diana didn't know what to feel. So Bruce wasn't going to be aware that she had admitted her feelings. There could still be a chance she could avoid the confrontation she didn't want to have…

"Step forward," Alfred pleaded. "We don't have enough time."

Nervously the eight members of the group slowly approached the altar. One by one, each Emblem was laid on Batman's body.

The group watched as the Emblems seemed to glow brightly. They had done it; it had worked.

But at that moment the little sense of hope and joy they felt was silenced immediately. The body of Batman suddenly sprang to life startling the group.

The Batman body looked at the group revealing instead of the cold white eyes of the cowl, yellow gleaming eyes of evil.

"Thanks," a familiar voice came out of the mouth of Batman.

"No!" Superman shouted.

Before anyone could react, a powerful blast exited from the imposter Batman, knocking every one of the group off their feet and stunning them.

The manifestations were still standing and oddly enough did not seem alarmed at all but just looked at the scene sadly. They seemed to be not only unable to be harmed by Doctor Destiny's attack, but unable to interfere as well.

Doctor Destiny stood before the League clutching the Emblems in his arms with manic delight.

"I had realized my powers had evolved so much that I could enter here undetected. It took awhile but I was able to open the altar and disguise myself as Batman!" the man gloated.

Diana looked in horror to realize a body of Batman was still lying in the altar. Doctor Destiny had tricked them. He had been lying in that altar, on top of Batman's body, pretending to be Batman who knows how long. And they didn't detect him at all.

And they had literally handed them the Emblems.

"Seriously thank you, I almost had to do nothing!"

Shayera in rage immediately flew up at him and intended to beat the Emblems out of his hands. Doctor Destiny however was too quick and vanished.

"Where is he?" Dick cried angrily and he got to his feet to look around. He then noticed how the manifestations just seemed to be standing there doing nothing.

"Do something!" Dick yelled.

"They can't stop me!" Doctor Destiny's voice said throughout the cathedral. He suddenly materialized in above the group.

"And now, I take what is rightfully mine!" he proclaimed.

The Emblems were suddenly encased by a blue ball of energy. The ball and the Emblems it surrounded suddenly shrank into the size of a jewel.

A gold medallion appeared around the blue glowing container and a chain as well.

Doctor Destiny laughed as he placed the medallion around his neck.

His body then began to shake violently. The League couldn't do anything but stare in horror.

Black light surrounded Doctor Destiny as his groans and cries grew deeper. For a second he was totally consumed by utter blackness that the League could only hear his continued roars as his power increased.

Finally the blackness cleared away and Doctor Destiny remained where he was. He was a lot taller and larger, even bigger than Doomsday. His blue costume was replaced with one large black hooded cloak. The only noticeable thing was the medallion on his neck that shone bright contrasting the blackness of his costume. His skull like face was white and paler.

He looked like a characterization of the grim reaper.

As if sensing the thoughts on their minds, Doctor Destiny laughed. His usual singsong voice louder and more menacing and an octave deeper.

"'For I have become death, destroyer of worlds'" Doctor Destiny quoted. "The power is unstoppable. I can feel it. It is bigger than I imagine, and it is all thanks to you!"

Shayera glared angrily and flew at him. Doctor Destiny swatted her like a fly.

"Shayera!" John cried and went to catch her.

Lobo began to shoot wildly at Doctor Destiny. He avoided each blast with ease.

"I've had enough with all of you!" Destiny growled. "Time to swat you like the insects you are! You all thought I was nothing important! Now look at me, I am God! I am Death!"

At that moment though, the cathedral started to tremble.

"That can't be good," muttered Wally.

The group looked up and saw a part of the roof of the Cathedral was collapsing. It almost landed on Dick had Diana not pulled him out of the way.

More rubble began to fall. John put a protective shield around everyone.

Doctor Destiny looked a little disappointed.

"Pity, I would have loved to kill you all here…"

And with that he flew up toward the high ceiling toward the glowing orange portal that brought them there.

"John!" J'onn yelled. "Get us out of here!"

John immediately complied and he transported the group up with his ring toward the portal.

"What's going on?" Diana asked alarmed.

J'onn didn't answer her.

"J'onn?"

J'onn looked into her eyes.

"Bruce is dying," he said sadly.

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Bruce's body fidgeted on the bed. It was convulsing involuntarily. The heart monitor was beeping erratically.

Bruce continued to shake violently to the sound of the rapid beeping until finally only one monotone tune was heard.

The heart monitor had flat lined.

Bruce's heart had stopped. He was dead.

The life support machine that would have killed him with a lethal injection in a few hours shut off as well. No need for it now that Bruce was dead.

His body lied still in the empty Med Bay, broken and alone, with the remnants of his costume and one battarang by his side.

000000

Diana and the rest didn't have time to reflect when she heard that news. The moment they had pass through the portal an explosion happened.

The next thing the group knew, John's concentration broke and they were all free falling, but only for a second.

"Cool, I'm flyin'" Lobo remarked. That was partially true they were all floating. The only ones who seemed to be able to actually fly and be able to propel themselves around where the group members who already could fly. But for the time being, the group was floating in mid air. Or if you could call it mid air.

Before they had traveled through basically a straight line through the vortex. This was different. There seemed to be no ordered or linear path. Or even a vortex.

Just endless clouds of multiple colors.

"J'onn, where are we?" Superman asked.

"We are in the emotional plane. With the connection with Batman being lost, our path back is not going to be as easy as it was going in."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Dick cried. "We got to hurry and stop Doctor Destiny, get the Emblems from him and save Bruce-"

"Dick-" John said trying to calm him down.

"He's not dead!" Dick shouted. "You said he was dying!"

Dick then looked at J'onn with pleading eyes. Bruce couldn't be dead, he couldn't

"There's a reason why the connection was broken," J'onn said sadly. "I'm sorry, Batman is no logner dying now. He's dead."

At that moment everyone felt as if their own hearts had been pulled from them.

After everything, Batman was dead. Their efforts had been in vain.

Shayera was just staring blankly at nothing. She couldn't believe it. He couldn't be dead.

Her husband was feeling angry at himself. How could he have failed? He could have done something.

Wally was crying. He didn't care he was in front of everyone. Bruce was dead. Lobo was patting him on the back to try to comfort him.

Superman just looked like he had lost everything. The League never saw him this vulnerable before. He looked completely broken. That nothing mattered anymore. He needed to give up.

J'onn bowed his head. This was all his fault. He should have sensed this. He could have stopped this.

Diana could feel tears rolling down her face. After everything it was going to end like this. She never got to tell him. It was too late.

But then she noticed Dick was distancing himself away from the group. He looked like he didn't want to live anymore.

Then she looked around and she saw how the rest looked so helpless and lost.

A fire began to burn up in her. The Amazon in her that seemed to have faltered since the Realm of Avarice was coming back. Bruce had died and she was sad, but they still had a job to do.

"There will be time to grieve later…" she said.

"Later?" Dick shot back incredulously. "It's always later with all of you! Once again you were too late!"

"Dick…" Superman said.

"This all of your fault! You drove him to this! This all could have been avoided!" Dick shouted and the League could tell he was really fighting back tears.

Superman sighed.

"You both are right. We have failed Bruce again, but we aren't going to fail him a third time. The least we can do to honor his memory is stop Doctor Destiny."

That seemed to inspire the group again. Wally stopped crying. John looked determined again. Lobo pulled out a gun ready to fire.

Dick glared at Superman but took a deep breath. Superman and Diana were right. They had a mission. There would be time to reflect on Bruce's passing later. Doctor Destiny needed to pay.

"There's a problem. How do we get out of here?" Shayera asked.

J'onn's eyes glowed orange.

"That is not a problem. I have been following Doctor Destiny's mind. He is trying to find the way through the transconscious articulator since that is the only way out to the physical plane. We just have to follow his trail."

"Well we need to hurry don't we?" Wally asked. "Remember how you said you needed to connect our minds to the machine or else we would be torn to shreds in the emotional plane? If Destiny gets through that machine before us and shuts it down, we're screwed!"

J'onn however didn't seem as urgent.

"He's not planning to shut down the machine

All of a sudden J'onn's eyes went wide.

"Oh no…"

"What is it?" Diana asked worried.

"He's going to keep it open!"

"Why?" Superman asked.

J'onn looked around urgently.

"A transconcious articulator is able to allow a gateway between the physical and emotional plane. It was used as a therapeutic method because telepaths could use it to manipulate their own reality when they were in it. Some higher level telepaths could even extend the distortion beyond the confines of the machine and within a small radius outside the machine in the real world."

"And someone with Doctor Destiny's power…"

"He'll be able to manipulate the real world in his own image. He will have the power to create things out of nothing or create an army to conquer the world and soon the universe."

Superman looked alarmed.

"Is there any way you can shut off the machine from here before he gets out?"

"But that will lead to us gettin' killed ya idiot!" Lobo cried.

"Whatever it takes to stop him!" Dick yelled back.

J'onn shook his head.

"I need to be by the control panel. To do that and he will enter the physical world before us. And if we just shut the machine down he will still be a powerful foe without it."

"There has to be a way to stop him, J'onn, please," Diana said encouragingly. "Think."

J'onn paused his mind was racing through all possible ideas and then he found one.

"There is one chance…one slim chance we can stop him."

"How slim?" Wally asked.

"Razor thin," J'onn replied. If you can distract him I might be able to reprogram the machine to suck him into the emotional plane. I can block him out from latching onto any minds so there is no way he can come back again."

"Will it kill him?" Shayera asked.

J'onn shook his head.

"No, he is a full evolved telepath so he can live in the emotional plane forever. But once he gets imprisoned it will be impossible for him to escape. Even if another transconcious articulator was built he would not be able to enter the real world again. He will be forever sealed in this plane unless we used the same transconscious articulator to enter the emotional plane."

"So we're going to need to destroy it after we push him back into the emotional plane?"

J'onn nodded.

"Hey!" Lobo cried. "I have a lotta money restin' on it! The deal was I help ya, ya let me keep it and sell it!"

"Lobo what's more important? Getting out of here alive or money?" Superman asked.

Lobo shut up after that.

"We need to get going then," Diana said. "The longer he's out there, the more danger he poses."

J'onn nodded and took off to lead the group. Diana and Superman came right behind him with Shayer and John going on the flanks. John was carrying those who could only float and not fly by his ring.

In silence the group sped as fast they could through the chaos around them. They needed to hurry. They needed to stop them.

It was ironic in a way. They were speeding over to what would probably be their last mission.

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Alfred watched as the green bubble went through the orange portal before it sealed. The emotional continued to collapse on itself.

He looked at his fellow manifestations that just stood in the cathedral staring blankly around. Batman was dead and so they would cease to exist soon. One by one they began to fade away leaving Alfred the last one in the cathedral.

Alfred turned to the body of Batman in the altar.

"There is always will. And when there's fear, there is hope. When there's avarice there is compassion. When there's rage there is love. And when there's death, there is also life. Just remember Master Bruce, what I told you before I died."

Alfred leaned in to whisper at the lifeless projection of Batman's body.

"You are never alone."

And with that, Alfred too faded away just as the entire emotional core collapsed on itself.

Bruce had died and so did his heart.


	36. The Last Gamble

Doctor Destiny flew through the chaotic mess of the emotional realm. The opening had to be somewhere. He was so close…

Finally he found it. With manic delight he went through it.

He landed on the solid ground and looked around. He was in the atrium of the legendary Metro Tower. A fitting place for his future palace. It would serve as a symbol to all the other superheroes that he, not them, was in charge now.

Doctor Destiny closed his eyes and took in the air. He could breathe again. He felt whole now. Solid. No more having to leech onto other people's psyche like a parasite. He could actually feel now.

Doctor Destiny then extended his hand out at one of the floor panels of the atrium.

Concentrating hard, the floor panel began to change its material. Pretty soon it went from steel to a more brittle iron.

He grinned and tried to think of something to conjure. Extending his hand out he thought of producing another gold medallion.

However after much concentration nothing appeared. He sighed. It was so much easier to conjure things in the emotional realm than the physical realm.

Oh well, he had plenty of time for his powers to evolve to eventually the level that he would be able to conjure anything out of nothing in the physical realm. And in the meantime he could think how he was going to redesign this place.

At that moment he heard a whistling sound.

Doctor Destiny turned around to find himself being hit in the face by a colliding fist.

"That's for Batman!" Superman yelled as he forcibly pushed a surprised Doctor Destiny against the wall. Destiny blasted him away before feeling more pain again at his side.

Doctor Destiny groaned.

"You forgot one thing about being physical; it hurts!" Diana replied and she started to repeatedly punch him in the air.

They were right. Doctor Destiny now that he could feel also felt pain now. But still he had so much power. The pain was temporary and the wounds were healed instantly.

Diana aimed another powerful punch at his face.

To her horror she felt bone crack.

Doctor Destiny grinned with her as his skull face healed instantly.

She had thought it was a mask.

He was no longer human. The skull was real.

"John Dee the human died on that satellite," Destiny grinned as he suddenly responded with a powerful blast at Superman and Diana sending them to the ground.

"Now witness the coming of your lord, Master of Death, Doctor Destiny."

Green restraints suddenly appeared around Destiny's wrists. Annoyed Destiny turned around to see the rest of the League flying out of the machine at him. Green Lantern was using his ring to restrain Destiny.

Destiny grinned.

"You never learn…"

John suddenly screamed as green light shot out of his body. The group just watched in horror as Destiny continued to absorb the green light from John's ring until John stopped glowing green and his costume disappeared. John then collapsed and began to fall to the ground. Shayera caught him just in time before he hit the ground.

The group gasped. John was no longer glowing green. His ring power was drained.

"You should have brought an extra charger!" Destiny taunted.

"Hey ugly! Watch out!"

Destiny turned around to see Lobo flying toward him. The Czarnian had climbed up a higher level of the atrium during the initial skirmishes that Destiny was engaged with.

Lobo landed on Destiny's shoulders and started pounding his temples.

"Get off!" Destiny yelled.

Lobo continued to punch violently.

The League took advantage of this and began to join in the attack. Superman and Diana were taken turns flying at him and punching him while Wally was zooming around in circles and all over the place to make the villain even more disoriented.

J'onn meanwhile was looking over an unconscious John with Shayera.

"How is he?" Shayera asked with concern.

J'onn closed his eyes.

"He's fine. He'll live. Take him to the upper level," J'onn said pointing to an upper deck that had one of the Metro's many computers on it.

"Why?"

"When I start that machine, it is going to create a field that will suck everything in its path. Up there should keep him out of range. When it's ready to go I'll tell you all to head up there so you won't be sucked in with him."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, get him to safety!"

Shayera paused before carrying her husband up to the upper deck and gently laying him on the ground.

"I'll be back," she whispered before flying down to the join battle to give J'onn the time he needed.

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"Dick, I need you to get behind the machine and reroute the wires. I'll instruct you telepathically."

"Got it!" Dick said as he went behind the machine. He found a control panel screwed in. Good thing Batman always taught him to keep some tools handy.

Dick pulled out a screwdriver and began to unscrew the panel.

When he pulled it away, he realized it just wasn't a few wires. More like a thousand.

"Shit," Dick muttered as he waited for J'onn to tell him what to do.

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J'onn closed his eyes to ensure he was blocking Doctor Destiny from latching onto anyone's mind. Good. The villain was so relieved he didn't have to leech off of others' minds anymore he wasn't using his telepathic powers. Time to start the machine.

J'onn approached the control panel and sighed. This was going to take a while.

"_J'onn I got a thousand wires here. What the hell am I supposed to do?"_ Dick communicated telepathically.

"_Show me,"_ J'onn said.

Immediately J'onn saw an image of the heap of tangled wires. His old friend the professor seemed to have to improvise and added more things than the standard transconscious articulator.

J'onn sighed. Between running things at the control panel, instructing Dick what to do with the wires, and blocking Destiny from telepathically reaching onto any minds nearby, it would be an understatement to say he had his hands full.

This called for some serious multitasking.

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Doctor Destiny was cornered like a wounded animal. The League was giving him all they got and then some.

They were all enraged by Batman's death and he was going to pay.

"All that power and you go down easy…" Diana said as she dangerously approached him.

However Destiny suddenly seemed to have a burst of energy again.

A powerful blue blast emerged from his body knocking the five heroes off their feet.

"Is that all ya got?" Lobo asked weakly.

Doctor Destiny with his large hands picked up Lobo and glared at him.

With his other hand green gas began to shoot out of it.

Lobo choked and gagged.

"No fair…"

Doctor Destiny smiled and tossed Lobo aside.

The bounty hunter landed on the upper deck unconscious not too far away from John. Destiny was disabling them one by one.

Superman slowly got up to his feet.

"Why do you still fight?"

"This ends here!" the Man of Steel shouted and flew at his foe.

"Yes it does. The era of the League is over. The era of Destiny has begun!"

Superman punched Destiny in the gut but Destiny seemed to have been prepared for that.

Destiny laughed and shot another blast at Superman who dodged it and flew above him.

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Wally got to his feet to see Shayera and Diana were still trying to catch their breath from that last attack. There was no sight of Lobo and Superman was pretty much fighting Doctor Destiny by himself.

Wally looked on the other side of the atrium to see J'onn frustratingly typing the computer and Dick angrily pulling wires out.

It would be only a matter of time Destiny would see them and stop them. The plan would fail…

No. Not this time. A sense of defiance grew into the speedster.

Batman had already died. He wasn't going to let anyone of his friends die. Even if that meant he had to.

With a new found purpose and anger, Wally had gotten up and started circling around Destiny again. This time a lot faster with much more violence.

"Wally no!" Superman shouted from the air realizing what Wally was doing. Wally was trying to send Destiny into the speed force. Last time he did this they almost lost him.

Wally ignored Superman's warnings. J'onn was taking too long. He wasn't going to let Destiny hurt anyone again. He was going to send him to the speed force, and he would be going with him.

Wally could feel that his speed was causing the floor panels to sink under the velocity. He could also tell Doctor Destiny was having a hard time standing straight with him speeding around.

Diana and Shayera were watching the spectacle.

"Wally!" Shayera shouted. Not again. They couldn't lose him too.

Wally heard her cries but didn't hesitate; it was the only way.

Doctor Destiny overcome by the force of Wally's speed was sitting down now groaning.

But at that moment his hand managed to touch the ground and send yellow rays of light

Wally screamed and collapsed. However due to him going so fast and suddenly stopping,he had made a big dent on the ground.

"What's the matter Flash? Too scared to move?" Destiny cackled.

"That's it!" Shayera shrieked and flew at him and began to pound him repeatedly with her mace.

He was going to pay. He was going to feel the pain he had inflicted on others.

Destiny conjured up a violet shield around him. Shayera hit it and the energy went through her mace shocking her.

She didn't fall unconscious. She was tough. But that temporary pause in pain was all the time Destiny needed to grab and slam her violently to the ground.

Superman was using all his strength at Destiny. And yet even his mightiest of punch seemed to only send Doctor Destiny back a few inches. When he had hit Darkseid like that, the New God had traveled across Metropolis.

Destiny truly was the most powerful foe they faced.

"_J'onn,"_ Superman thought to himself. _"I don't think we can distract him much longer."_

"_Almost there Superman,"_ J'onn said urgently. _"Do all you can."_

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Diana carried Wally and Shayera up to the upper deck. J'onn had instructed her to do so. When that machine was activated, it would be best if they were out of the range of the field.

She gently lowered Shayera next to John. Lobo was not too far off in the distance passed out. She lowered Wally next to Shayera.

She looked over to see that J'onn and Dick were doing the best they could to hurry and get the machine ready. It was their last chance. Their last gamble. Superman meanwhile was fighting Destiny all by himself but he was slowly losing his strength. He was going to need her help.

With determination she flew at him.

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"_There I did it!"_ Dick thought as he cut yet another black wire.

J'onn looked at the screen. Yes it worked. They were close. He just needed to get the program finished.

"Alright," Dick said as he came back out to the front. "Come on let's go."

"I still got to finish typing in the code," J'onn said calmly. "Have Diana carry you back to where the others are. I'll instruct Superman to back away when it is time to start the machine."

"Wait. How are you going to get out of the way?"

J'onn paused and looked at Dick right in the eyes.

"I'm not…" he said with finality.

Realization had hit Dick. J'onn was going to sacrifice himself to stop Doctor Destiny. He wouldn't be able to reverse the machine and get out of the way in time.

"You can't. You'll die…" Dick protested as he started to realize what was happening. Not after everything they could lose J'onn as well.

"I won't I'll just be trapped with him forever in the emotional plane. It is the only way."

Dick could feel a tear streaming down his face. Talk about irony. A few moments ago he wanted to kill J'onn but now he didn't want the Martian to sacrifice himself as well.

"There has to be another way!" Dick shouted. He was angry now. "We won't abandon you there!"

J'onn sighed.

"I was in charge of this mission and I failed. The least I can do is ensure that Destiny will never harm anyone again. Promise to destroy the machine once we are both sucked back in. Make sure that no one ever rebuilds it. It is the only way to ensure he will never be free."

Now Dick fully understood who J'onn really was. He was a survivor of war. He knew when it was needed to make the hard call in battle and when to make the ultimate sacrifice. He truly was a soldier. A soldier who did not deserve the fate he was going to put himself in.

More tears were streaming down Dick's face.

"I'm sorry..." he apologized as he pulled the Martian in the embrace. The guilt he was feeling was overwhelming him.

J'onn returned the embrace.

"You are a good man, Richard," J'onn said. "Bruce would be proud of you. You need to live through this. Someone needs to be around to remember Batman. Someone to keep fighting the cause for him. You and Batgirl can do that for him. Whereas someone like me…"

J'onn broke the embrace and gave a somber smile.

"Well there comes a time where everything must die. How appropriate that the Martian race goes out with what humans call a bang."

Dick sadly smiled at J'onn little joke.

"Thank you J'onn, for everything."

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"_Diana,"_ J'onn said telepathically to her.

"_I'm a little busy,"_ she thought back as she grunted trying to dodge Destiny's barrage of indigo light blasts.

"_Diana I need you to get Dick up to where the rest are. I'm about to activate the machine and he's going to get pulled in if he's not out of the way of the field."_

Diana sighed and flew away from the battle. Superman did not seem to mind. He was determined to break Destiny's face as much as he could.

Destiny laughed.

"Your friends have left you! How does that feel?"

Superman flew up and looked straight in the eyes of Doctor Destiny.

With sudden speed he punched right between the eyes of Doctor Destiny. Doctor Destiny howled in pain and covered his face.

"How does that feel?" Superman mocked back.

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Diana grabbed Dick and flew to the upper deck with the rest. To their relief, Wally, Shayera, and John were coming to. Lobo was still unconscious and on the other side of the deck, separated from the group.

As Diana dropped Dick, she approached Shayera to make sure she was alright.

"Are you okay Shay?" Diana asked with concern.

"Wher-where's John?" she said with worry.

"I'm right here Shayera," John assured her and helped pick his wife to her feet.

"What are standing here for?" Wally asked. "Why we leaving Supes alone?"

"J'onn's about to activate the machine. He doesn't want too many of us down there, one of us might get sucked into the machine as well," Dick explained. "He's going to tell Supes when he is about to start the machine so he can get out of the way."

"But how's J'onn going to get out of the way?" Wally asked.

Dick tried to think of a response but couldn't. He couldn't lie to them.

"He isn't," Dick said with finality.

The look on the other four's faces were of mix surprise and sorrow. After everything, they weren't going to just lose Batman but J'onn as well.

"No!" Wally protested.

Shayera and John quickly grabbed him even though he could easily break free with his speed if he really wanted to.

"It's the only way Wally…"

"You guys can't let him do that!" Wally protested. "This is like Batman in the Watchtower! You are giving up on him!"

John sighed.

"We aren't giving up on him Wally! We understand he needs to do what needs to be done. He's doing it for us. For the world."

While Shayera and John were trying to calm down Wally, Dick was looking guiltily at the floor, and Diana was staring blankly at the level below.

J'onn was now going away soon. Forever in an inescapable hell. She was so close to him and he was going to be gone.

Not him. It can't be him. It shouldn't be him.

But the warrior in her understood what their job meant. Sometimes they had to make the bigger sacrifices so the innocent could live in peace. Her friends understood it. She understood it. Batman understood it especially.

Now Diana was starting to realize why Batman sometimes feared connections with others. He was afraid of the pain when it came time to make the ultimate sacrifice. He pushed people away because he didn't want to hurt him.

And that was why she loved him. He had the determination, bravery, and selfless service than any other man she met. Even Tom.

"No!"

The five looked at Doctor Destiny in horror.

He had Superman in a vise grip and was squeezing hard. Red light was shooting out of his hands as well, overcoming Superman.

"I can manipulate anything I want. How does Red Solar light feel Superman?"

Superman groaned and tried to resist but it was no use. His powers were being drained away.

"Kal!" Diana cried and flew after him to save him.

Doctor Destiny saw her coming at him and just grinned.

Black smoke was beginning to form around him. Some of that black smoke hit Diana, sending her flying back to the wall on the floor the upper deck was on. More pillars of black smoke hit the other four as well, forcing them against the wall.

They all tried to fight and resist but it was no use. By the time the smoke cleared, they realized to their horror, they had been restrained to the wall. A powerful black substance hard as diamond was restraining them by the wrists and feet. They were trapped.

Doctor Destiny then sent Superman flying onto the same wall. Like his friends, he too was overcome by a black smoke and when it cleared, he was restrained by his hands and feet by a powerful hard black substance.

0000000

J'onn saw what was happening. He didn't have much time. Almost there. He just needed to wait for the thing to download.

Come on, come on…

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Superman thrown against where the rest were restrained.

Come on!

The control panel beeped and a message appeared across the screen.

REVERSE SEQUENCE READY TO COMMENCE

J'onn took a deep breath. It was now or never.

He went to push the button that would start the machine and send him to where he would spend the remainder of his life…

"ARRR!"

Something had clasped tightly on J'onn's shoulder and shocked him. J'onn couldn't control his limbs, the pain was too great. His fingers brushed against the button. He was so close…

"Nice try!" Doctor Destiny mocked as he motioned for the black smoke that was touching the Martian to transport him to where his friends remained imprisoned.

Soon J'onn shared the same fate of his friends and was restrained on the wall by the hard black substance.

"You all thought bravely, I salute you for that," Destiny mocked while giving a salute and shrinking down to his normal size. It was a waste of too much power trying to stay big.

"But your time has come. It is time for me to create an army and reimage this eye sore in my own vision!"

And with that Doctor Destiny turned away to concentrate. It would take a while to create that much. But he had plenty of time.

"J'onn!" Diana asked.

The Martian weakly opened his eyes.

"I…failed you…"

"No you didn't!" Dick argued. "You did all we can. There has to be something!"

J'onn shook his head.

"It's too late."

Meanwhile Superman struggled against his bonds but it was no use. Not only had he lost much of his power from Destiny's red sun light, but he couldn't apply enough muscle to break his bounds.

Diana however had an idea. Her right arm was bounded just below the bracelet. Her bracelets were supposedly one of the hardest substances in the world.

She began to attempt to rotate her wrist back and forth. She was very limited on the range of motion because of her restraints.

Nonetheless she kept rotating it hard. She could feel her skin getting raw by the wrist. She bit her lip. She wasn't going to give up. She had to break out.

Wally on the other hand was looking at Lobo's unconscious body. He had an idea. Lobo unlike the rest was not restrained because he was separated from the group.

"Hey J'onn, try waking Lobo up!" Wally suggested.

J'onn sighed.

"I have tried Wally but his vulnerability with gas makes it difficult. I can only play with his dreams."

Wally sighed so much for that.

Dick was bowing his head in shame. They had failed Bruce again. The world was going to fall and it was all his fault. He couldn't let him go. J'onn was in the right all along. He was too stubborn to see it.

Shayera was feeling anger, more rage she had ever felt. Not only did she not like Destiny killing Bruce, she was especially angry at the idea what was going to happen to Rex now. She wasn't going to let that monster harm her child.

Her husband was of likewise sentiments. He was trying all he could to break free. He knew his ring was out of power but that didn't mean he was going to give up.

He was not going to fail his son.

John closed his eyes and continued to struggle against his restraints with determination even though it was hopeless-

"John you're glowing again!" Shayera shouted. "Is your ring on emergency power?"

"What?" John asked confused and opened his eyes. What Shayera said was true he was glowing green. But he knew it wasn't his ring. This felt different. Plus he was not in his Green Lantern uniform. He was glowing green due to something else.

He looked to his side to fine red light glowing at him as well.

"So are you!" John pointed out. Shayera was glowing, but unlike her husband she was glowing deep shade of blood red. Red light was emanating from nowhere.

That caught everyone else's attention. They were staring at John and Shayera with surprise.

J'onn's eyes were wide with shock. What was going on?

But then the words of Alfred's words echoed in his head.

"_Bearing an Emblem doesn't just mean literally holding it. It means understanding a little bit of Bruce's heart. And because you understand him, a little bit of Master Bruce resides in all of you. A heart is not just strengthened by the power of the emotions, but by the people in your life. Master Bruce never realized this but he was never alone."_

Was that a clue to something else? He never heard of anything happening like this. But then again no one had ever attempted a journey like they did.

"Everyone, start concentrating on the emotions that you won the Emblems for!" J'onn ordered.

"What?" Superman asked confused.

"Just do it!" J'onn snapped.

"Why what happens?" Wally asked.

"I don't know but we have to try!"

Diana would have thought her slow and painful way of rotating her wrist so her bracelet would cut into the restraint around her arms was still a better plan but still she couldn't deny that John and Shayera were glowing. That had to mean something.

"Uh J'onn, what about Lobo?" Dick asked.

"Already taking care of it," J'onn remarked and he managed to find one of Lobo's sick fantasy dreams that involved a lot of naked women and violence.

Lobo's body was beginning to glow orange.

"Come on!" J'onn shouted.

Dick sighed. They didn't have a choice.

Dick thought about how truly scared he was right now. He had failed not only his parents and Bruce but the world.

What about Babs? What about Tim? What was going to happen to them?

The idea of their lives in jeopardy was terrifying him.

Wally like Dick was trying to make himself scared. He just thought of Linda. How he would never see her again and never get the chance to tell her he loved her again. The thought of her getting hurt was making his heart beat race.

Shayera was thinking of everything she could to keep her light glowing. Although it seemed to be doing nothing but glowing it was still better than nothing. She thought of the words that the Justice Lord Hawkgirl said to her during her test. That was enough to make her want to hurt something.

John just kept picturing his beautiful son and how he had always been inspired to fight so he could have a better life. He was fighting for those he loved.

Superman was doing what he did best. He kept hoping. He may have been nearly powerless and there seemed no chance of stopping Doctor Destiny, but he was still going to keep hoping. Even in the face of adversary he had hope. Besides, J'onn's plan seemed to be working, even if it was just making them glow.

J'onn began to glow indigo. He was using his telepathic abilities to feel all the different emotions his friends were feeling. Between this, blocking Doctor Destiny from leeching onto other minds still, and trying to keep Lobo having fantasies so his body would glow orange, J'onn was having a hard time concentrating while bearing all the emotions in his head. But he wasn't going to give up.

Lastly Diana continued to try to free herself but that didn't stop her of thinking all those she had loved.

Her mother, her sisters, her friends, the people of Earth, Shayera, John, Wally, Dick, J'onn, and Superman. She loved them deeply.

She then thought of Tom and how much she loved him. Violet light began to emanate from her body weakly.

She then thought about her love for Bruce and despite everything that had happened, he would always still be in her heart. He loved her and she loved him. She never knew when it started, but she knew she would still love him until the end of time.

The violet began to glow even brighter, similar to all her friends' respected lights. Dick and Wally were glowing a deep shade of yellow.

00000

Doctor Destiny had his concentration broken by flashing lights. What was going on?

He angrily turned around to see how the League could escape from his prison but what he saw surprised

They were still restrained except now each one was glowing a different color. Hawkgirl was glowing red as her husband glowed green without his ring. Flash and Nightwing were a sinister looking yellow color.

In the distance the unconscious body of the Czarnian was glowing with orange.

Superman was glowing bright blue and the Martian a calm indigo. Lastly Wonder Woman with a look of perseverance and defiance was glowing a very deep shade of violet.

Doctor Destiny hesitated. This couldn't be happening. This was impossible.

"What are you doing?" Doctor Destiny asked for the first time showing a little fear beneath the wicked face.

The lights just kept getting brighter. Glowing against the black color.

"Stop it!" Doctor Destiny yelled with a little of uncertainty. "Stop it, I command you!"

The lights just kept increasing with intensity.

Doctor Destiny lifted his hand ready to deal a deadly blast to them.

"I command you to stop or I'll…"

But Doctor Destiny did not get to finish his threat. Beams of colored light shot out of each one of the prisoners. They all met midair between Destiny and them.

The focal point was a small sphere glowing white from the mixing of all the colors.

"No!" Doctor Destiny shouted and he shot a powerful blast at the expanding white sphere.

However upon contact the sphere suddenly exploded, knocking Doctor Destiny off his feet.

He tried to get up but he was blinded by the white light.

His prisoners were blinded the same. Due to the bright light shining in their faces, none of them noticed the little sphere of light heading toward the med bay.

Maybe if those with superhearing tried using their ears instead of the eyes, their senses might have picked up the faint sound of someone getting out of bed and putting a suit on…

00000

The light finally cleared. The group blinked a couple of times trying to adjust their eyes again. They could see Doctor Destiny was getting up to his feet.

However Destiny didn't have the usual arrogant evil look on his face. Instead his looked showed a mixture of awe and terror. He was looking at something else.

"That's not possible!" Destiny said with true fear.

Automatically, the seven heroes all turned their heads to the direction the villain was looking at.

What they saw made many of them gasps.

"No way!" Wally cried

"It can't…" Diana said.

Standing from the direction where the med bay was a bright source of white light. However it seemed to be emanating from someone. A figure wearing a torn batsuit and cowl.

A figure wearing a mask with white lenses that were glaring angrily at the villain in black.

The eyes were narrow slits of anger.

Batman had returned.

**Up next the Battle you all have been waiting for.**


	37. Life

Bruce opened his eyes to find he was in an endless void. Or if you could call it a void. It was all white.

Bruce shielded his eyes. Where was he?

He was getting to his feet when he sensed a presence behind him. Immediately he turned around to see a man he last saw in the hospital. A man who died not too long ago.

"Gordon?" Bruce asked unsure.

Gordon smiled.

"Welcome, Bruce."

Instead of the usual trench coat he was in a white robe. Also his hair and moustache that he lost in chemo were back. He wore a big smile on his face.

"You're dead," Bruce stated suspiciously.

Gordon nodded.

"But if that is true, then why are you here?"

Bruce paused. He remembered fighting Metallo, Croc, Bane, Kaliback, Deadshot and the Sazusky brothers.

He remembered the two boys and…

Doctor Destiny.

Bruce's eyes showed anger. He was going to make him pay…

But then he realized something. Something was wrong.

"I'm dead too…" Bruce said with finality.

Gordon smiled.

"Yes and no."

Bruce looked at him confused.

"Where am I?" he demanded. This was probably a trick of Doctor Destiny. He never believed in the afterlife anyways.

"You are I guess what you would say in between. I have been waiting for you here…"

"I'm sorry but I don't believe you. This is just some big trick by Destiny well it's not working…"

Gordon's eyes flashed anger.

"What is wrong with you Bruce? Would it kill you to just for once have some faith?"

Bruce was taken aback by that question. Gordon continued.

"But you did have faith. Just not in yourself, but your friends."

What Gordon said was true, Bruce didn't deny but that didn't mean he was still suspicious.

"I don't have any friends…"

Gordon chuckled.

"You always act like you are the lone man when in reality you probably have the most loyal friends and family a man could have!"

"They rejected me," Bruce snapped back angrily.

"But you still cared and loved all of them. You were just too stubborn to show it. And they as well."

"Why are you here if this isn't what you call the 'afterlife' Jim?" Bruce asked. He didn't want to be reminded of his regrets and mistakes.

Gordon smiled.

"I wasn't allowed to move on until you came here. I'm here to remind you of what Life really is."

"What? What is the meaning of life then?" Bruce asked sarcasm and cynicism.

Gordon sighed.

"You and I were not so different. Both driven men in a broken city. Both willing to do what it took to bring back hope to Gotham. We really did something for Gotham…"

"You were the better man though…" Bruce remarked.

Gordon shook his head.

"We both aren't without fault. The difference between us was I realized that my life is not just measured by what I do, but by the people in my life as well. I let others in my life and I could tell you, it made dying a lot easier with the comfort I wasn't alone."

"But that is because you deserved it! You were the better man Jim! You weren't like me! Someone who deserved to spend his remaining years broken and alone!"

"I am here to show you what you should have realized what life really was. You should have lived your life like me. Dedicated to your job, but still leaving time for your friends and those you loved…"

"Even if I had time it wouldn't work. You should know I died alone!"

Jim sighed.

"Bruce, do you remember what Alfred told you before he died?"

Bruce glared. How would he know that?

"You are never alone Bruce. You and your friends and loved ones may have been too stubborn to talk to each other, but you were never alone."

And with that an image appeared behind Gordon. It was Gotham.

There seemed to be a big shootout. Bruce recognized it from the East End.

Three shooters had a little girl hostage and were keeping the police at bay.

All of a sudden the snap of a whip was heard and all three guns were knocked out of the shooters hands.

"Selina?" Bruce asked in surprise. But his eyes didn't deceive him.

Catwoman had disarmed all three shooters.

"When you were disabled, Gotham went down the tubes. Some like Selina decided in your memory someone should still keep the vigil…" Gordon explained.

"Some?"

The image changed to another one. It looked like someone had started a robbery in a bank.

Suddenly someone in black and red descended on the robbers and disabled them with ease. Bruce immediately recognized the suit. It was a prototype he designed. Not many people knew about it.

"Who's that?" Bruce asked, a little angry that someone had taken up the mantle.

Gordon smiled proudly.

"That's my little girl."

Bruce looked at Gordon with shock.

"Barbara?"

"Yes. Kind of funny that we both thought we could keep her away but in the end it is who she is. She is a fighter. She had been working with Selina and a few others to try to keep Gotham from collapsing. However they all knew criminals would never be scared again unless they thought the Batman legacy was still around. She did it for you Bruce. For me. She didn't want all our hard work to go to waste."

Bruce paused. Barbara was doing this for him? After everything?

"But Babs, isn't the only one fighting in your name," Gordon went on. "Dick, the six founders of the League, and Lobo went on a journey to save your life…"

Bruce snorted.

"Yeah right. Out of everyone they probably hated me the most. And why the hell would they allow Lobo…"

"Don't believe me? Let me ask you something. Were you not aware of their presence? Couldn't you feel them inside of you? Don't you feel like they just had been torn away from your heart moments ago?"

Bruce gave no answer to that. As crazy as it sounded that was almost exactly how he felt moments before he came up here.

"The six and Dick realized they were at a difficult choice. Destiny was preying on your emotional center. J'onn couldn't stop him telepathically. If Doctor Destiny succeeded, not only would they lose you, but Destiny would come back more powerful…"

"They should have let me died then!" Bruce responded angrily. "I'm not worth saving!"

Gordon however scowled at him.

"No life is not worth saving. You of all people should know that!"

"Regardless my life does not weigh up to the lives of others!"

"But don't you understand? Your friends, despite everything you thought, still wanted to save you. They felt after everything you had done, you deserved another chance at life!"

"And look how that turned out!" Bruce replied bitter. "They also had no right to enter my mind!"

"They entered your heart Bruce," Gordon corrected.

"Same thing."

Gordon rubbed his forehead.

"You are so stubborn. Your friends did what they thought was best. They had almost succeeded. They were close to waking you up but…"

"But?"

Gordon sighed sadly.

"Destiny managed to get a hold your emotional Emblems at the last moment, not only killing you, but increasing his power."

Behind Gordon an image of Doctor Destiny reappeared. He was cloaked in black now and was wearing a medallion. Bruce was too curious by the image to ask what Gordon meant by emblems.

"He wears your emotions on his neck now, giving him an unlimited source of power…"

"To destroy the world…"

"Not destroy but remake it in his own image. See your friends had to use a machine to travel to your heart. With that still running it gives Doctor Destiny even more unlimited power. Your friends are trying to stop him right now…"

As Gordon spoke the image of a battle played out. Bruce watched as he saw John have the light zapped out of him. Pretty soon they were falling one by one. In the distance Dick and J'onn were working on a machine that Bruce recognized as transconscius articulator. Bruce had seen the sketches once in J'onn's room.

Bruce winced when he saw Destiny managed to get a hold of Superman and weaken him with red sunlight.

He continued to watch in pain as the League was disabled and J'onn failed to stop the mad telepath. Bruce's fists were clenched in rage. If he was out there, he would make him pay.

"They were trying to trap Destiny back into the emotional plane or what you would call the dream world. They almost succeeded, almost."

Bruce bowed his head. He thought of Dick and how they never had a chance to make up. He thought of Wally, John, and Shayera. They had lives still to live. He thought of Clark and how he never had a chance to tell him how much he really cared. Or how he respected J'onn all this time. Or how he really felt for Diana. But it was too late now.

That even made him angrier. That monster was going to be unleashed on this world and it was all his fault. If only they could let him go.

"Don't despair, Bruce," Gordon encouraged.

Bruce looked up and realized the eight were glowing different colors. Even Lobo who was off to the side unconscious.

"Red for Rage, Orange for Avarice, Yellow for Fear, Green for Willpower, Blue for Hope, Indigo for Compassion, and Violet for Love."

"What are they doing?"

Gordon smiled.

"They had done something no one had achieved before. They had entered your heart and saw you for what you really are. Each one of them understood something about yourself. Because they had come in contact with your own emotions, each of their emotional strength is tied to you. As long as they stay alive and your body is in close proximity to them while they experience the emotions they won over, you can't die. It also gives you much power. Like Destiny said, pure raw emotion is the greatest fuel for power…"

"They have no right!" Bruce replied angrily. Why couldn't they let him die in peace?

"They love you Bruce. They want to save you! Let me ask you something, do you want Doctor Destiny to win?"

"No."

"Do you want him to be stopped?"

"Yes but…"

"Well you are the only who can stop him now. You are giving a second chance to stop him from hurting everyone again…"

"But was the point of this? Why are you here?"

Gordon smiled.

"I am here to try to show you there is still time to change your lifestyle when you return to the living and actually defeat Destiny. If by chance you do survive this fight, maybe you will actually learn what I have been trying to teach you that our lives also depend on those close to our hearts."

Bruce couldn't respond to that. As much as he wanted to say when people got close to him they got hurt, he couldn't help but acknowledge that he had felt there was something missing in his life.

Bruce felt the world shaking around him.

Gordon sighed sadly.

"It's time to go, goodbye Bruce," he said as he offered his hand to shake.

Bruce hesitated but took it.

Gordon smiled sadly while still holding Bruce's hand.

"Remember Destiny needs to be stopped. Even if it means I will be seeing you again soon…"

Bruce sighed. Typical of his life to give him a second chance just so he might die again. That was his life.

"I understand."

"And Bruce, if you do live. Remember, the people in your life are what define you. It _reflects_ what you are…"

000000

Bruce's eyes opened wide. He was back in the hospital bed. There was bright white light surrounding him but somehow he could still see and was not blinded. He could hear the faint sound of buzzing.

He looked at his body. It looked rejuvenated, younger. His arm was no longer broken and much of the gashes from his last fight were gone. The white light had healed him.

But he had work to do. With surprising energy he got out of bed. To his shock he found his cowl and costume still by his side. A lone battarang was placed on top.

Quickly he put it in one of his gloves. Never know.

Putting on the costume, he stepped outside ready to face his foe.

000000

Batman just continued to glare at Doctor Destiny who was still in shock and dumbfounded what happened.

Meanwhile all of the League and Dick were staring with mouths wide opened. It couldn't be. Batman was dead.

"How…?" Destiny asked.

"You should have known Dee. A heart is not just strengthened by its own emotions but by the people in one's life," Batman explained. "You may have absorbed my emotions but I'm reflecting theirs. As long as I'm around them, not only will I stay alive, but I will have power like you!"

Destiny seemed to finally find his bearing again. He grinned.

"So I guess I'll just have to kill them then!"

Before anyone could say anything, Destiny shot a powerful black blast to at his prisoners.

Wally closed his eyes expecting the worse.

The black light was deflected by white light that shot out of Batman's right arm.

Destiny's eyes showed surprised but then snarled.

"So it's a fight you want, well here it is!"

Destiny shot a beam of yellow light right at Batman's chest. Batman groaned and fell to his knees as Doctor Destiny continued to shoot the yellow beam at him.

"Bruce!" Dick shouted. No. He couldn't die right now.

Batman then got back up and smiled despite Doctor Destiny's continued efforts of shooting yellow light at him.

"Do you think my fears can match the fear Dick feels over losing me?" Batman responded and revealed he was pushing back Destiny's yellow light with his own.

Destiny groaned and tried concentrating more.

"Wally, think of the scariest thing right now," Dick ordered, understanding reaching him.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

The two young adults thought about their worst fears. And it proved to be working. Batman's beam of yellow light was slowly overcoming Destiny's. His eyes lit up in terror briefly before it hit him.

Destiny cried in pain as he was blasted to the other side of the atrium.

Batman walked up to the crumpled body of Doctor Destiny who was getting to his feet.

"So now Batman has powers. Tell me how does it feel?"

Batman ignored him and continued to walk toward him with vengeance in his eyes.

Destiny grinned, or tried to.

"It…it matters not, I'm still stronger than you and have had more experience! You can't beat me!"

"This ends here Dee! No more innocent blood will be spilt for your lust for power! This ends now!"

Batman charged at Destiny. Destiny flew up in the air over Batman.

To the group's surprised Batman flew into the air after him.

"Batman's flying?" Wally asked in surprise.

But it was true. The Dark Knight was chasing after the Dream Master in midair.

Doctor Destiny like his prisoners was completely taken aback by the idea of Batman flying in the air after him. It was a scary sight to see Batman flying.

Batman tackled him in the air. The two foes began to wrestle.

White versus Black. Light and Dark. Good and Evil. Life and Death.

Doctor Destiny and Batman each had a hand on the other's wrists and were grunting under the strain of trying to gain dominance over the other.

Finally Doctor Destiny managed to send a shock of orange light to stun Batman and break free.

On a power level, both Batman and Doctor Destiny seemed evenly match, but Doctor Destiny did have more experience. Still the mad man wasn't prepared to fight a foe as powerful as Batman was at the moment.

Diana continued to rotate her wrist. Right now Batman and Doctor Destiny were locked in mid air wrestling all over the place. They were at stalemate. If she could break free, maybe she could help even the odds.

She could feel a little blood on her wrists. The constant rotation was causing her to get a skin burn. But she was an Amazon, she wasn't going to let a little pain to stop her. Besides, her bracelet was making progress on cutting through the black substance restraining her wrist.

"Come on Bruce," Superman muttered trying to instill as much Hope as possible to power Batman.

That seemed to help Batman a little. As he and Doctor Destiny fought in the air, Batman's fists had begun to glow blue. With one punch he sent Doctor Destiny screaming back to the ground.

"Yes!" Dick cried in excitement.

Batman descended on the ground and began to stomp to a struggling Destiny.

"Wait please this is just a misunderstanding…" Destiny begged.

Batman delivered a punch into his face. Destiny howled and gripped his face.

"Hear me out!"

Batman grabbed Destiny by the cape and swung him across the atrium. It seemed he also had superstrength as well.

"Batman!" Destiny begged as Batman made to deliver another blow to the villain. "Think about it. With our combine powers and skills what we can do together!"

Batman ignored and continued to stomp toward his prey.

"Think about it. Think what we could do with your parents," Destiny said with a little bit of temptation.

That caused Batman to pause.

"What's he doing?" John asked.

"He's being offered his biggest desire," J'onn explained.

The group all remembered how hard it was to escape the realm of Avarice. They only made it out because of Lobo.

"Don't listen to him Bruce!" Shayera shouted angrily.

Batman did not hear her and had paused. He was staring at Doctor Destiny curiously.

"I know what you desire most Bruce," Destiny said through his silver tongue. "You want justice on what happened to your parents. You want them back…"

As Destiny spoke, an orange ball of light appeared behind him. It expanded to show the image of Martha and Thomas Wayne smiling.

"Think about it Bruce. Together we can bring them back. Stop them from dying. Stop any other child form losing their parents. Why, we can create the perfect world. A world where this doesn't ever happen again. Where it never happens…"

As Destiny spoke the image of Bruce's parents getting gun down replayed in the orange ball. The League could tell that was really disturbing Bruce.

John struggled to free himself.

"Come on Bruce!" he shouted.

But his cry appeared to have fallen on death ears.

"We are not so unlike. It is us who should have the power, not them. Why do we fight amongst ourselves when we can create?" Destiny reasoned while whispering in Batman's ear who was still staring at the image of his parents getting killed.

"I am like you. I care for those who have been mistreated by injustice or freaks like _them_. Those metas and their god like arrogance. All you have to do is take my hand…" Destiny said offering his hand.

"Bruce!" Superman shouted to try to snap him out of it. But Bruce did not seem to hear the Kryptonian.

Destiny grinned. He had won him over.

"That's good. Do we have a deal?"

Batman made to shake the skeletal hand before pausing. Batman bowed his head and sighed. All of a sudden, his blue glowing fist clenched and he hit Doctor Destiny with an uppercut.

"Oomph!" Destiny muttered as he went flying onto the other side. Batman had dislocated his jaw which healed instantly.

"That's for Andrew and Phillip!" Batman shot back angrily as he made his way over to Destiny scrambling to his feet.

Destiny paused, looking legitimately confused.

"Who?"

Batman growled angrily and picked Destiny by the neck before slamming him against the wall, still clutching his bony throat.

"The two boys who watched their parents fall to their death because of you! The two boys who will forever live with the nightmare of their whole world destroyed right in front of their eyes! Two boys who will never have a moment's peace again because of your insane ambition!"

And with that Batman threw him over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Destiny begged as Batman continued to walk menacingly slow towards him.

"Think about it. We can erase it from happening. We have the power to bend reality…"

Batman punched him in the gut.

"That…is…something…you…can't…erase!" he whispered picking Destiny up in the air by the back.

Batman then threw Destiny onto the ground.

"You never cared for anyone Dee! Only for yourself! You made yourself a victim! And that was why you are all alone!"

"Enough!" Destiny cried angrily as he got in a defensive stance. Green and red light shining threateningly through his fingers.

"You take your chances with them?" he asked with betrayal. "To them, you are nothing more than a man in a costume! A freak! A nut job! You are so much better than them!"

Batman's own hands glowed with green and violet.

"You are wrong! They were the better men. They were better than me. They risked their own lives and mission to save me. It is why it makes this fighting worth it. It's why I won't stop until I beat you Dee!"

"It's Doctor Destiny!" Destiny spat back but with not as much confidence. He really was scared.

"You see Dee, the deaths you cause for your goals may be unforgettable to you, but I never forget. I remember everything. It is the spark to my rage, my willpower, my hope; to stop monsters like you."

"Shut up!"

"You are not an innovator. You are just a petty criminal who belongs in an asylum with the rest of the freaks in the world. Beneath the tricks and dreams, you are nothing!"

"I am the Master of Death! I am a god! Reality is mine!"

And with that Doctor Destiny shot a beam of green light out of his right and red out of his left. Batman responded by shooting green out of his left and violet out of his right.

The green beams met as the red and violet collided. Violent sparks flew everywhere. Both Batman and Destiny snarled as each tried to overpower the other. They were using so much force they were on their knees.

Diana continued to turn her wrist as J'onn continued to block Destiny's mind. There was still a chance to their original plan. If only they could be free.

Superman was trying his best to break out but it was useless. He could only stand by and watch as his friend struggled to fight his foe.

After when it seemed like the two couldn't hold it anymore, both stopped emitting green light beams from their hands and nearly collapsed. Batman was coughing.

Destiny however seemed to recover quicker. Smiling with sadism, he got to his feet.

"You are nothing more than a scared little boy angry that his daddy didn't have the balls to fight off the mugger and that his whore of a mother begged like a bitch for mercy!"

Batman glared at the taunt and tried to get to his feet.

Destiny shot a blast of indigo rays, knocking him back down.

"You don't know how to use all this power yet Batman!"

Destiny then closed his eyes.

A beam of yellow light appeared. It looked like a staff glowing yellow. In his other hand a red beam of light in the shape of a staff appeared. Destiny then swiped both glowing staffs on the ground. They burnt through the metal. Like light sabers.

"This is like Star Wars!" Wally pointed out before realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Destiny walked with a skip in his step as Batman attempted to catch his breath.

"Fear and Rage. That's all you really are. Don't try to act like you are human. I will enjoy slaying you by your own tools."

Doctor Destiny then lifted the red light saber in the air, ready to decapitate his foe.

"Bruce!" Diana shouted. Distracting herself from her attempt to break free.

Bruce heard her cry moments before Destiny's red light saber was inches by his neck.

Bruce leaned back just in time to see the red heat miss him by a hair.

Batman then sprung to his feet. Out of his hand appeared a blue light saber and a violet saber.

"Clark's hope and Diana's love! You think my fear and rage is stronger what they are most good at?"

Doctor Destiny yelled and attempted to fight. But he was no match for Batman's fencing skills.

This really was the duel of light. Red colliding with violet, yellow with blue. Rage versus love, hope versus fear.

The League and Dick were getting dizzy trying to discern the two foes fighting between the flashes of different color lights.

Batman dodged a double swing just in time to do a reverse handspring over the mad men. He managed to get a good swipe in Doctor Destiny's back.

"Naarrh!" Destiny moaned in pain and fell to his knees. However, the wound healed instantly. He was back on his feet in no time.

This time Destiny was not going to hold back any punches.

He was shooting different energy blasts of different colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, violet.

Batman was dodging most of them. But he was also adding a few shots back as well.

When Batman managed to deflect a blue blast by one of his fists glowing orange, it had hit Doctor Destiny.

Destiny grunted in discomfort before giving Batman the look of murder. They were going for keeps now. It was now or never.

Destiny leaned back and summoned all the power he could. Black smoke began to surround the man. With a sudden heave, he fired a large mass of endless mass of darkness at Batman. Batman responded by sending bright white light.

They were throwing all they had at each other. The collision of the white and black made it undefined who was dominating. One minute it started to shift toward the favor of Batman, the next minute it would head to the favor of Destiny.

The bottom line though it was costing both enemies all their energy. It was a miracle they were both able to stand. Their knees were buckling, their eyes narrowed. Both looked like they were on the verge of killing themselves if they didn't kill each other.

Diana was now frantically rotating her wrist, not caring she might actually slit her wrist. She was making progress. A few more turns and she could get her wrist free.

Superman was trying his best to keep his hope up. Batman needed every emotion he could get.

J'onn was telepathically communicating with everyone telling them to keep feeling their emotions. Shayera was doing a good job keeping her anger up.

John was refusing to give up. They wouldn't fail Batman now…

"What the hell's goin' on here?" growled a half conscious voice.

The group turned to see Lobo had come to and was getting to his feet. The Czarnian took one look at the battle below him and swore.

"Frag this! I'm gettin' outta here!"

Lobo whistled and in seconds his Hog appeared by his side. He did not seem to notice he was glowing orange all this time.

"Lobo!" J'onn yelled. "We need your help to aid Batman in this fight…"

"Frag this; the Main Man is a man of his word but a man of himself as well! Well you didn't keep your end of the bargain! Ya're gonna destroy the machine, so the deal's void and null!"

And before anyone could say anything Lobo got on his bike.

"I'm gettin' outta here! No use to waitin' 'round like sittin' ducks ya losers!"

And with that Lobo zoomed off.

"Lobo, get back here!" Superman cried angrily and tried to fight through his restraints. But his words were lost on the Czarnian. Lob already zoomed away fleeing the fight.

"You coward!" Shayera yelled as she tried to fight through.

Diana was struggling to get her hand free. Almost there…

"He could at least have broken us free before he left!" Dick cried angrily.

"Oh no!" Wally called.

The group looked. Batman seemed to be slowly weakening. The white light was failing. The black smoke was getting closer.

Destiny was back on his feet taking steps closer as he kept firing his black smoke at Batman.

"The Czarnian has left you. You don't have the power of the orange light to keep you alive!"

J'onn was trying to see if he could play with anyone's greed to take Lobo's place but it was no use. None of them had been in contact with the Emblem of Avarice.

Destiny let out a victory cackle and ceased the smoke. No use of smiting Batman to smithereens…yet.

"I will enjoy seeing the life leave your eyes!" Destiny said with sick enjoyment as he walked to Batman who was clutching his heart. He was on the verge of passing out.

Batman, weakly on his knees, lunged at the mad man who just stood triumphant. He kicked Batman in the chest.

Batman groaned in pain.

"Get on your knees and beg like a dog!" Destiny commanded who then turned around to enjoy the look of horror and evaporation of hope on the League's faces as their last savior died at his knees.

But that distraction proved to be his undoing.

Batman lunged again except this time his hand reached higher, grabbing the medallion around Destiny's neck.

Destiny turned around too late to watch as Batman snapped the medallion off of him.

"NO!" Destiny shouted and reached for it but it was already done. The minute it was free from his body and in contact with Batman's. Both of them fell to their knees roaring. Doctor Destiny began to shake violently. The large amount of power leaving him.

The blackness was being absorbed by the Dark Knight. The white light fading. Batman was regaining his emotional Emblems.

The League just stood at awe at the sight before them, unsure what would happen next.

Both darkness and light surrounded the two squirming men before it seemed to expand violently in an explosion. The League closed the eyes and felt a rush of strong wind push against them.

They opened their eyes in time to see two figures still on their knees.

Batman was no longer glowing white and the awesome power he had possessed earlier was gone. However Destiny was no longer Black as well. His power significantly decreased. He was back to wearing his usual blue cloak.

Batman weakly got to his feet and walked over to Doctor Destiny, intending to apprehend him.

To his surprise, Destiny let out an evil laugh.

"It's too late," he said and with sudden speed broke free. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. But instead, you give up all that power to be normal!"

Destiny lifted up his hand, and thin wisps of black smoke shot from it, wrapping around Batman's neck and lifted him off the ground to strangle him.

"My power has significantly decreased, but I have absorbed enough that I can stay permanently tangible without your emotions. And with the doorway open. I still have enough power to manipulate reality just enough and kill you and your friends. Who knows, maybe I will steal their emotions next…"

But Batman was not paying attention to Destiny. So much for Plan A. Destiny had been in contact with the emotions too long. Time to go to Plan B now. He instead was communicating with someone else.

"_J'onn…"_ Batman called out telepathically.

"_Yes Batman?"_ J'onn responded hopefully. Batman had to have a backup plan. He always did.

"_Is the machine still ready to go?"_ Batman asked urgently, ignoring how his brain was slowly losing oxygen by Destiny's torturously slow strangulation.

"_Yes but how did you-"_ J'onn asked in surprise.

"_Not enough time. What do I have to do?"_

"_I have still been blocking him for latching onto any minds. You just need to push the button and it will trap him in the emotional plane forever. However you are not a telepath or connected to the machine meaning if you get sucked in, you will be torn to shreds…"_

"_I know. And frankly it seems better than spending an eternity trapped with him."_

There was a pause. J'onn understood. Batman was doing what he failed to do. He was going to sacrifice himself to stop Doctor Destiny. Batman wasn't scared. He died earlier. It wasn't so bad. And this time he wouldn't be dying broken but fighting. Only regret was he wouldn't get to say goodbye to those who he cared for.

"_I'm sorry Batman…"_

"_Don't be. It's what has to be done. Thank you J'onn."_

There was another pause on the Martian's end.

"_For what?"_

"_For trying to give me another chance but also understanding what is important."_

Bruce couldn't help but let out another gasp of air which caused Destiny to squeeze tighter. His own sadistic desires were enjoying this.

"_Tell the others goodbye for me. Especially Dick, Barbara, Tim. Make sure to let them know I am proud of them."_

"_Will do."_

Batman looked toward his friends and Dick to get one last look before he went. He could see their desperate pleas on their faces, especially Clark.

"_And please tell Clark to not get too sappy at my funeral."_

"_Anything else?"_

Batman paused and looked at Diana. For a second the whole world seemed to stop and he was just looking into the pleading deep sapphire eyes. A part of him wanted to just tell her the truth. Everything he felt before he went.

"_Tell Diana that…that…"_

"Struggling is useless! The human body can only last so long without air!" Destiny taunted. "You might as well give up!"

Batman struggled to get something out of his glove. Looked like he was going to be seeing Jim again a lot sooner than he thought. But he knew he had to do what it took to ensure Destiny would never harm another innocent life again.

Diana was by now rotating her wrist so fast she was surprised she hadn't sprain it. She was almost free.

"What's he doing?" Dick asked.

Batman, despite being nearly losing consciousness, was looking at the group. A small smile was on his face. Batman never smiled.

Realization struck Superman.

"Bruce!" he shouted in vain. After everything Bruce couldn't just throw his life away like that. He couldn't die now after everything.

"What's going on?" Wally asked.

"He's saying goodbye," J'onn explained sadly.

"No!" Diana shouted. Her wrist was almost free. Hold on Bruce.

Destiny laughed when he heard their cries in the distance.

Batman tired to say something between his chokes for oxygen as his eyes rolled back.

"What was that?" Destiny asked deciding to allow the black smoke to slacken its grip just a little around his neck so he could hear what Batman's last words were going to be.

"Pl-easant dreams Johnny Boy!" Batman yelled and before Destiny could react, he had tossed the battarang that Dick had left at his side. The League watched as the battarang seemed to take forever to hit its target.

But even despite having not much oxygen left, Batman's aim was true. The battarang hit the button on the control panel which lit up on contact. The screen announced a message:

REVERSE SEQUENCE INITIATED

"What have you done?" Destiny shouted over the whirring of the machine.


	38. Letting Go

For a second it seemed like nothing was going to happen. Then the machine activated.

Doctor Destiny had dropped Batman in a desperate attempt to flee. When the machine activated Batman went flying into it. He almost was totally caught off by how strong the force pulling him was.

He was about to enter the vortex to his doom when he managed to get a good grip on one of the bars to the doors.

Batman felt like his arms were about to pop out of his sockets but he ignored the pain. He wasn't going to let go yet. Not until he had assurance that Destiny went with him.

Destiny had managed to shoot some black smoke out of his fingers and dig into one of the floor panels. Batman could tell though that they were straining under the sheer force of the machine. It would only be a matter of time before it broke and he would be imprisoned in the emotional plane where he belonged.

The question was would Batman be able to hold longer than Destiny?

Probably not.

Batman's strength was no match for the machine's force. He felt is grip slowly slacking. He wasn't even bothering to look at the League. He didn't want to be looking in their shocked faces before he died.

"UNGGH!" Destiny cried as he tried to claw forward but had no luck. Just a few more minutes and his strength would fail. Unfortunately Batman wasn't going to be around to see it. His grip was failing. He sighed.

At least he would die knowing he did all he could to stop Destiny. Closing his eyes, he let go of the bar, waiting to fall into the emotional plane where he would be shredded into pieces.

0000000

When the machine started Diana had frantically rotated and strained her wrist to break it free. Finally her efforts were rewarded. She broke her hand free.

Shayera was next to her. With her free hand, covered in blood, Diana pounded on Shayera's mold on Shayera's wrist adjacent to her.

It cracked under the pure impact of Diana's strength.

Shayera then grabbed her mace in her belt and hit the bond on her right foot and Diana's left foot were free.

Shayera then quickly went to work freeing herself, John, Wally, and Dick.

Diana meanwhile managed to free herself and quickly busted J'onn and Superman free.

"We need to hurry!" Dick shouted pointing to the lower level.

The group looked at the scene below them. In their haste to try to get free they didn't see what had transpired in the past two minutes.

Doctor Destiny was desperately trying to use his powers to hold onto dear life on the floor panels. At the machine, Batman was almost in it. He was holding on to a bar by the door of the transconscious articulator.

The hungry orange vortex of the emotional plane was trying to pull him in.

"Bruce!" Diana shouted and made to jump after him.

J'onn held her back.

"Even you or Superman at full strength wouldn't be able to fight against the field!"

"Well we got to do something!" Superman shot back.

John was trying to see if he could get his ring to work but it was no use. It was out of power.

"Come on…"

Diana bit her lip. Batman looked like he couldn't hold on anymore. But then something glowing at her hip caught her attention. Diana looked down and saw the lasso, glowing brightly as if signaling her to use it.

"I'm going after him!" she shouted as she took the lasso off her hip and tied it around her waist. She placed the free end into Superman's hands forcibly.

"Wait but you might get sucked in too!" Superman protested.

"Then don't let go!" Diana shot back and flew down.

0000000

Batman closed his eyes when he let go. Dying wouldn't be too bad this time. He was ready for it…

"BRUCE!" a fierce voice shouted.

Batman opened his eyes to see Diana speeding at him just as he had let go of the bar. Before he knew it she had grabbed on to his wrist.

Together, both Diana and Batman fell deeper into the machine before coming to an unstable halt.

Diana groaned as the lasso tightened on her waist.

She could tell Clark and whoever was helping him was using all their strength to prevent her and Bruce from falling in.

"Diana?" Batman shouted over the roaring of the machine.

"It's alright Bruce! I got you!" she shouted. "Give me your other hand!"

"What are you doing? Save yourself!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Give me your hand!"

Batman hesistated.

"Bruce, please!"

00000

The minute Diana had gotten into the path of the machine; she had been sucked in so fast, the lasso almost slipped through Superman's hands.

He grabbed onto it but the force of the machine and the added weight of Batman was so much, Superman was dragged over to the edge of the balcony. Most of his super strength had been sapped from Destiny's attack.

Superman probably would have fallen over if J'onn hadn't managed to get an arm around him.

"Come on Bruce…" Superman muttered through clenched teeth.

"Hold on Batman!" J'onn shouted. Like Superman his strength had been weakened greatly from the mission and fight with Destiny. He and Superman were dragged along the balcony to the edge until a strong hand had grabbed J'onn.

"We got you!" John shouted as he grabbed onto the Martian. He may have been powerless, but he wasn't going to stand by and forsake Batman. Not this time.

"Don't you dare give up!" Shayera shrieked as she grabbed her husband, continuing the chain.

Wally soon grabbed her under the wings and Dick brought up the rear.

Together their combined might was just enough to stop Diana and Batman from getting pulled further into the vortex.

"Come on Bruce! We need you," Dick whispered in the rear.

"This is just like last time we fought Brainiac" muttered Wally to Dick through pained breaths. "Except the order's reverse and you're here."

Wally was also tempted to say that last time they were able to pull him free. He wasn't sure if they would be able to pull Batman out. It was costing their entire strength just to stop him from moving. It would take a lot more to pull him back.

000000

"Don't you dare let go!" Diana shouted at Batman. He wasn't going to play hero this time. This time he would be getting saved.

"Diana please! Let me go!" he begged. He didn't want her to go with him too.

"I can't Bruce!" she shouted. "I won't leave you this time!"

From the distance and over the roar of the machine, they could hear the faint cries of encouragement from Dick, Superman and the others.

"And neither will the rest! Please Bruce, give me your other hand!"

"Why?" Batman asked. "Why risk your life to save me? I don't deserve it!"

"Because you are a good man! We saw your heart and saw who you really are! Beneath the cowl and the battarangs, you are nothing more than a good man Bruce! An honorable man trying to do the right thing! A man who deserves another chance at life!"

Diana could feel the lasso glowing around her. It was making her speak the truth.

"And because…" Diana's eyes widened. No not now. This wasn't the best time.

"Because…" damn that lasso.

"And because I love you!" she said with finality.

"What?" Batman asked. The lenses in his cowl widened in shock. He didn't believe what she just said.

For a second the two just stared deep into each other's eyes as the truth was revealed.

"Bruce…" Diana said. "Take my hand."

Batman paused. He then slowly reached his other hand to Diana's free hand so she could grab it. He was inches away when a screaming was heard.

"AAARRRHH!"

Batman looked and Diana turned around in time to see Doctor Destiny's powers had failed him and he was pulled into the machine. It looked like he was going to get sucked into the vortex but with sudden speed he managed to grab onto Batman's leg as he passed by.

Batman screamed in pain and Diana grunted as they were carried deeper into the machine with the added weight.

"I'm not going alone!" Doctor Destiny shouted half crazed and defiant.

0000000

When the League, while using their entire strength to prevent Diana and Batman from falling into the emotional plane, saw Doctor Destiny get sucked into the machine, they thought it was over.

How wrong they were.

Not long after they witnessed him get pulled into the vortex they felt an even greater tug.

Superman was practically over the balcony and about to fall over into the path of the pull before they managed to catch their bearing. They were already using their max strength to prevent Diana and Batman falling in. With the added weight of Destiny and his attempt to shake Batman off, that was forcing them to rely on pure will.

"Come on, come on!" John shouted frustrated as he could feel the rope burning.

Superman was sweating. Something he rarely did. If only he had his powers at full strength.

"Come on Bruce…" he whispered to himself. "Fight him!"

000000

Destiny attempted to climb over Batman who was squirming trying to kick him off.

"Diana! Let me go!" Batman ordered. "You can't let him escape!"

"Hush you! They are too guilty to let you go! And this will be the means to my escape!"

Diana delivered a good punch to Destiny's face as he attempted to climb on her. That sent him flying. But he still managed to get another tight hold on Batman's leg.

"Fine! If I am going to spend an eternity trapped here. I at least will be comforted that I was the one who killed Batman! I will enjoy as I watch you be torn to shreds when we are trapped into the emotional plane!"

"You basutrd!" Diana shouted.

"Diana it's alright! Have the others pull you up…"

"Like Hades I'm going to leave you!" she shouted back.

Destiny extended his free hand. Black smoke appeared out of it again. Much weaker and thinner than usual but still effective. The black smoke fighting against the force of the vortex managed to make its way up to Batman's face and swirl around the wrist that Diana gripped.

Destiny was trying to suffocate Batman and pull him free from Diana's grip.

"Isn't that sweet. Maybe I can take her too…" Destiny threatened as some of the black smoke made its way up Diana's arm.

Batman kicked as hard as he could but he couldn't shake Destiny off. He did manage to distract his concentration long enough for the black smoke to retreat from Diana's wrist. However, there was plenty more of it slowly overcoming Batman.

"You…won't…touch…her!" Batman spat.

Destiny just grinned.

"Very well, but you're coming with me my Dark Knight. Say goodbye to your friends!"

The smoke began to swirl around Batman tighter. Diana could feel Batman slipping through her fingers.

"No Hera, please," she begged to herself.

Meanwhile the League and Dick were using all they could to try to hold onto the lasso but their strength was failing. It would only be a matter of time that either Batman, Diana, or they would lose their grip. But still, they weren't going to give up yet.

Batman stared sadly into Diana's eyes as more blackness began to overcome him. He could faintly hear Destiny's laughter.

He looked in her eyes to try to tell her what he wanted to say. What he should have said long ago. Not only that but let her know that he knew this wasn't her fault and he was grateful she tried. He was sort of glad the last face he would see would be hers.

He couldn't speak due to slowly losing his breath as the smoke strangled him so he tried to communicate to her eyes which were pleading and filled with tears.

Those blue orbs would be the last thing he remembered alive…

"HEY SKULL GEEK!" a loud voice was heard in the distance.

The tension and stress at that moment had frozen. Destiny's smoke had ceased strangling Batman as he looked at the source. His eyes bulged wide.

Batman looked to see what Destiny was looking at. Diana turned her head as well to see.

Even the League, who were pretty much having their arms pulled out of the sockets trying to hold Batman and Diana back, couldn't help but turn to look at the source of the voice.

What they saw made their mouths open in shock.

Standing on his space bike precariously was Lobo. He had returned.

He was just out of the range of the field of the machine. He had the biggest rifle they ever see him carried. Lobo had one eye in the eyepiece and was aiming the rifle at Destiny.

After everyone got over the shock over Lobo's surprise return, no one dared to say anything. Everyone just paused to stare at the Czarnian to see what he would do next.

"Nobody…insults…my…BIKE!" Lobo said menacingly until screaming on the last word. With that he shot his rifle.

The League watched as if it was in slow motion. The energy blast from the rifle seemed to take forever to reach its target. It was a near impossible shot. There was no way Lobo could hit Destiny without hitting Batman.

But yet Lobo's aim, despite being barely balanced on his Hog and shooting into a vortex at a squirming target was true.

The energy blast hit Destiny square in the face, missing Batman by inches.

"AAARGGH!" Destiny roared in pain and couldn't help but let go for a second.

That was all the time he needed to doom himself.

The minute he let go he was sucked to the center of the vortex, into the emotional plane where he would be trapped forever.

"NNNNOOOO!" Destiny roared as he was pulled deeper into the vortex while reaching in vain at his foes. He kept going and going until he was out of sight.

Lobo spit to the side before grinning.

"Gotcha," he muttered satisfied.

The League sighed with relief. It was over. Destiny was imprisoned once and for all.

"Lobo!" J'onn shouted. "Shoot the machine!"

"What?" Lobo asked confused and reluctant.

"Now Lobo!" Superman ordered. "Don't worry about the money!"

"It's not that, it's just ya guys are pulling with so much strength and all, ya do realize when that thin' shuts down and stops pulling on all ya, ya all goin' to go flyin' back…"

"LOBO!" everyone shouted. They didn't care if they were going to go flying back. Whatever it took to save Batman.

"Alright sheesh, hold on ya losers! This is gonna hurt!"

Lobo loaded another bullet into his rifle and aimed it at the power pack to the side of the transconcious articulator.

Diana looked at Batman.

"Do you trust me?"

Batman paused before responding.

"Yes…"

"Then take my hand."

After much hesitation. Batman took Diana's other hand. He wasn't going to let go.

"Hold on," she warned before turning her head back to the group.

"We're ready!" she shouted to signal Lobo to shoot the machine.

The League and Dick took a deep breath. This was going to hurt a little. Especially on Dick because he was in the back. But a little pain to save Batman was worth it.

"Alright, on the count of three! One…two…five…three!"

And with that Lobo shot the power pack.

Immediately when the energy blast made contact with the pack the League was thrown backwards across the balcony due to the force from the machine instantaneously being shut off.

Dick was slammed right into the wall before being crushed by Wally and Shayera.

John almost cracked his head open by falling on the floor.

J'onn was able to shape shift into something soft to help break Superman's violent blow back.

Meanwhile Diana and Batman were tugged out of the machine violently. They were swinging on the lasso with so much force that Diana had swung into a wall, with Batman pushing into her.

They both groaned as they fell to the floor.

"Uh-oh…" they heard Lobo remarked.

The transconscious articulator was sizzling. The vortex was slowly disappearing, returning the inside of the machine to its usual small cylindrical hollow self. However the machine began to hum wildly as electricity was being shot everywhere.

"Get down!" J'onn warned as everyone was sorely getting to their feet.

Everyone followed.

Diana made to get up so she could fly Batman to safety but instead she was tackled to the ground.

Batman had forced himself on top to cover her.

Diana was about to protest but the machine had exploded.

Fire and shrapnel went everywhere.

Diana's hearing popped from the explosion. All she could hear was a ringing. But she could feel the fire and see it along with the shrapnel that was flying just above Batman's head.

And then it was over as soon as it began. Diana's hearing returned and there was dead silence.

She sighed and then she realized Batman wasn't moving.

"Batman?" she asked worried. The rest of the League had heard her and immediately were getting to their feet.

"Bruce!" she said louder as she gently pushed him off her and held him in her arms. There seemed to be no life in him.

Superman sprinted down followed by the rest. No, there was no way.

"Please Bruce no…"

But at that moment Batman began to cough, showing signs that he was alive.

"We got him…" Batman whispered and attempted to get to his feet.

However he was nearly tackled by different colors. The six founders and Dick had jumped him and pulled him in a big embrace.

"Welcome back Bruce!" Clark beamed as he pulled a clearly uncomfortable Batman into a hug with Diana.

Shayera was kissing him on the cheek.

The Martian and John were patting him on the back. Dick and Wally were crying.

Diana had tears in her eyes as well but she didn't care. She was glad he was back.

"The ole' gang's back together!" Lobo boomed as he got of his bike and pulled the other eight into one tight embrace. No one resisted.

Batman was tempted to say something but let it go. The bounty hunter did save his life.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity the group separated to let Batman have some air.

Superman looked at Batman.

"I have some things to say…"

"I'm sorry" they both said at the same time.

The group just beamed as the two proud men seemed unsure what to do next. They both had apologized each other.

"Don't apologize Bruce, I gave up on you…"

"I brought it on myself…"

The two went back and forth for awhile before they pulled each other in one more embrace.

Batman then looked at Dick who was looking sheepishly.

"What time is it?" Batman said with sudden seriousness that made them all jump with alarm.

"Uh…almost seven at night here…" Dick said checking the clock in the atrium.

Batman immediately turned and sprinted out.

"Hey!" John shouted. "Where are you going?"

"Gotham!" Batman explained without slowing his pace.

The group looked at each other in shock. After everything Batman was going to go out on patrol first?

Finally Diana gave an understanding smile.

"He's Batman. He still has his mission."

Dick however took off after Batman.

00000

Batman sprinted out of the Metro Tower while pushing a button on his belt. It beeped. Good. The bat plane was still hidden where he parked it outside of Metropolis. It would be coming to get him in a few moments.

Batman ran through the front entrance of the Metro Tower. To his surprise there was a police barricade and a large crowd of curious onlookers. The noise from their fight had attracted attention.

The sight of Batman emerging from the Tower was causing many people to gasp.

"He's alive!"

"Batman's back!" people shouted or whispered among themselves.

Batman just kept sprinting to where the batplane would pick him up.

"Batman wait!" Nightwing shouted as he ran out of the Metro Tower after his mentor. The remaining members of the League soon reached the entrance but chose to remain standing as they watch Batman grapple onto a building across with Nightwing chasing after him.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked after Batman stopped on the roof to wait.

"Gotham needs me. Don't want Barbara doing all the work by herself…" he explained calmly.

"Wait what?" Dick asked confused.

"I'll explain later…" Batman said as the plane appeared. He turned to Dick.

"You want to come?"

"What?" Dick asked unsure.

"I'm going to need all the help I can get from the best. What do you say?"

Dick was speechless. Did Batman just say he needed help? Did he just say he was the best?

"Uh okay…"

"Then get in!" Batman barked as he got in the plane, waiting for Dick to follow him.

Dick chuckled. Some things never change, but some things do, for the better.

He jumped in after his mentor.

The canopy slid shut and Batman looked to the six founders and Lobo who were watching him take off from the entrance of the Metro.

Superman gave an understanding nod meaning they would talk later. Batman had work to do. Batman made eye contact with Diana for a second before giving a small thank you nod to her.

And with that he turned ahead and piloted the batplane into the sunset of Metropolis before turning around to head to Gotham.

The onlookers and police were cheering when they saw the batplane leave. Word had reached Gotham before the Dynamic Duo had even had reached the halfway point.

Batman was coming back.

**Only two chapters left. Will Bruce heed Gordon's advice or revert to his old self?**


	39. The People In Your Life

**To answer Ledah's comment. I actually pointed out in a previous chapter that the white light healed Batman from his previous wounds when he was resurrected. Even during the fight both Destiny and Batman were healing themselves. The only real injury I guess you could say Batman had at the end of the last chapter was his arms getting tired for trying to hold on for dear life. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Thanks for the review.**

_Three Months Later_

Diana got herself ready. She and her fiancé were going up to the Watchtower to help get ready for Clark and Lois's wedding which was in a month. After the mission, Superman had returned to Lois and told her he couldn't wait anymore and they decided they should try to get married sooner.

Lois asked Diana to be her maid of honor which Diana complied. She was happy for Lois. She hoped her wedding would be as wonderful as Lois's would be.

"You ready Di?" Diana heard Tom call in the other room.

"I'm ready," she said and she exited the bathroom. Due to Tom's relationship with her, he was allowed to be transported up to the Watchtower. He took the day off so he could spend some time with his future wife. Plus he got along well with Clark and Lois.

"Oh I just talked to Clark and he finally revealed who he's going to make his best man…"

"Who?" Diana asked even though she had a feeling.

"Batman!" Tom said a little confused. "I would never put them as friends. Strange huh?"

"Yeah you could say that," Diana sighed. She already knew Clark would inevitably choose Bruce. Just hearing the confirmation now made her sigh with resignation. With her being the maid of honor, it was going to be awkward.

"Are you okay Di?" Tom asked.

"Why?" Diana asked a little nervously. She never told him what she had to do in Batman's heart. What she told Batman when she thought he was going to slip from his grip and die.

"I don't know; these past months you've had that look on your face. Are you sure you're alright?"

Diana put a fake smile.

"It's just everything's happening so fast and things are changing so much. Batman back in the League, Clark and Lois setting a date, Shayera pregnant again, you and me…"

"Do you think we are rushing things?"

"No of course not!" Diana assured. "It's just like I said, all of this seems unreal…"

Tom sighed.

"I know Di, I know. I had no idea I would settle down, let alone be with the best woman in the world."

Diana smiled.

"You are so sweet," she said as she gave him a kiss.

Tom beamed.

"Let me use the bathroom before we go," Tom explained and made his way over there. "I need to shave."

Diana sighed when he left her to herself. He was right; she had been acting odd since the mission was over.

It took Batman a week to straighten out Gotham again. It probably would have taking him longer if it weren't for the efforts of a few females who had been putting their heart and soul into protecting Gotham while he was away.

It was during that week when the euphoria of Batman being back died down with Diana. She understood right there, that they would never be together. Even though they both knew their true feelings for another, they knew it would go nowhere.

Batman was changing his life for the better, but he would never want to settle down. Gotham would come first.

Diana knew she would have accepted that about him. She would never ask him to put her before his mission, but she knew he would still not commit to her. She never heard him say he love her by his own choice. The Realm of Love showed her that Batman was always afraid to love again.

And she understood that and respected him. The manifestation of Batman's love said they had the choice. They both chose to settle as friends. Neither of them would get hurt. They both knew they loved each other and that was all they needed. Nothing more.

So she decided to stay with Tom. She loved him very much. He wasn't that different than Bruce. Except he was willing to allow room for her in his life. Bruce wouldn't make room for her but she wasn't going to hate him for that.

The only problem was Diana felt guilty. She felt maybe she couldn't love Tom as much as he loved her. She sometimes felt she was taking advantage of him.

"Ready to go?" Tom asked as he exited the bathroom reeking of aftershave.

"Yes," Diana said a little too excited. She was glad she found an excuse to interrupt her thoughts.

Tom eyed her suspisciously as Diana called for them to be teleported to the Watchtower.

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Bruce Wayne followed the old lady as she led him into the house.

"I must confess Mr. Wayne, when you called, I thought you were joking."

"I'm not m 'am," Bruce said politely. "I know what it's like and I felt like the least I could do is talk to them."

"They'll be pleased to see you," the old lady explained.

"How are they?"

The old lady paused.

"They still have nightmares. Andrew seems to be holding up better but probably because he was younger. Phillip though…"

The old lady hesitated.

"I don't know. The therapist thinks he might not fully recover. He hasn't really spoken since the incident…"

Bruce put a sympathetic shoulder on the old lady.

"I understand," he said softly.

The old lady believed him and led him to the room.

She gently knocked on the door.

"What is it grandma?" a young voice was heard in the room.

The old lady opened the door.

"You two have a visitor…"

"Who?" the voice asked excitedly.

"Mr. Bruce Wayne…" the old lady announced as she fully opened the door.

Bruce saw the two boys. They looked a lot older now. The younger one seemed happier than last time. The older one though still had that pained look on his face. A look Bruce recognized all too well.

Andrew, the younger one, was looking at Bruce excitedly.

"You're the rich guy on TV!" he asked excitedly. "Did you get us anything?"

"Andrew!" the old lady cried.

"It's alright," Bruce chuckled and he pulled out two boxes with him.

Andrew looked at the box that Bruce gave him. He quickly opened it to reveal a toy plane.

"Cool!" Andrew shouted and immediately began to play with it.

"What do we say to Mr. Wayne boys?"

"Thank you!" Andrew said excitedly.

Both Bruce and the old lady looked at Phillip. Unlike his brother he had taken no interest in his gift and had not opened it yet. He gave Bruce a cold look before speaking.

"Thanks…" he muttered.

The old lady sighed.

"I'm sorry, he's just not really social anymore…" she whispered to Bruce.

Bruce nodded.

"I know. Would you mind if I speak to them for a few minutes?"

"Yes of course," the old lady said and left them in the room.

The minute the door shut, Phillip looked Bruce directly in the eyes.

"You're Batman…" he stated. It wasn't a claim or accusation. More of a statement of fact.

Leave it to one little boy to figure out his identity.

Andrew almost dropped the plane he was playing with and was looking at Bruce with wide eyes.

"You're Batman?" he asked half excited and half nervous.

Bruce was too trained in his facial expression to show any surprise but just gave an aloof stare. A part of him was tempted to laugh and deny it. But somehow he couldn't lie to these boys. They had been through enough.

"Yes, I am. How did you know?"

Phillip paused.

"I just could tell," he explained.

Bruce could not help but admire how bright Phillip was for his age. Reminded him of himself.

Andrew however was eager to ask questions.

"What happened to skeleton man?" he asked. "Did you beat him?"

Bruce smiled.

"I did. He won't harm anyone again."

Andrew seemed to feel better about that.

"What's it like working with Superman?" he asked curiously.

Bruce bent down and picked up Andrew and sat him on the bed next to his brother.

"Between you and me," Bruce said looking around before whispering. "He's a big softie…"

Andrew giggled at that. He still had more questions.

"What about Wonder Woman? She's really pretty and nice too. We got to meet her when the…"

Andrew stopped right there. Bruce could tell he was trying to forget a horrible memory. Bruce immediately went into action.

"Yes she is beautiful," he remarked, hoping to change the subject.

Phillip finally made eye contact with Bruce again.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

Bruce responded with an unreadable look. These two boys had been through way more than what the average adult went through.

Sighing Bruce sat on the bed as well. Both boys looked at him curiously.

"Because I know what it is like to see your parents die in front of you. I know what's like to always have nightmares and be scared. I know what it's like to feel angry at nothing. I know what it's like to wanting nothing more than to tell your mother and father you love them one more time…"

At that point, a few tears were rolling down his face. The same was going for Andrew. Even Phillip was finally showing emotion.

"Why does it hurt?" Phillip asked. "Does it go away?"

Bruce shook his head.

"No it really doesn't. But there is a way you can make it not hurt as bad."

"How?"

Bruce wiped a few tears and smiled.

"Having people that care about you in your life. Opening your heart to others. I didn't realize that until it was almost too late."

"What if we don't have anyone who cares about us?" Phillip asked.

Bruce smiled and pulled the two boys in an embrace.

"Your grandmother cares about you, and so do I."

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"Shayera!" John shouted. "He's crawling!"

Shayera rushed out with great difficulty due to the bulge in her belly. She was pregnant not just with another child but with triplets. John had fainted the first time he heard the news.

Seeing the sight of her son crawling eagerly, ready to explore on his own was moving Shayera to tears.

"That's my boy!" she said proudly and picked him up.

Rex giggled and began to kick with delight.

John just smiled at the scene.

This was got him out of bed every day; knowing that his wife and kid would be safe and happy. They were what he lived for.

"I love you," John said to his wife and kissed her on the cheek.

Shayera smirked.

"So do I, but save your energy. We got to go meet Clark and the others. "They're planning to look around the Watchtower and make plans for their wedding."

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Wally had his arm around Linda.

"Are you sure they wouldn't mind me coming up to the Watchtower?" she asked unsure.

"You'll be fine."

"But we're not married or engaged. We're just dating. You seem to be putting in a lot of trust in me…"

Wally beamed.

"I love you Linda and that is good enough for me to trust you. If they have an issue with that well they can talk to me!"

Linda pretended to fan herself.

"Whoa, the Flash is on fire! He's sticking up to Superman and Batman. What's next?"

Wally grinned and called for transport to the Watchtower.

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Lois and Clark got dress before they would be going up to the Watchtower to examine how to accommodate it for their wedding.

"So how did Bruce take it when you told him you are going to make him best man?"

"He tried to act surprise but he was excited!" Clark exclaimed.

Lois smirked.

"He's not the only one."

Clark beamed.

"How are he and Diana?" she asked.

Clark sighed.

"They're both being stubborn. Diana's still with Tom…"

"Tom is a great guy though!" Lois pointed out.

"Yes but he's not Bruce," Superman said sadly. Both he and Lois had expected Diana and Bruce to fix things up but instead they acted like nothing had happened. They were both not too keen on how their love for each other was forcibly revealed to the other.

"Well maybe it's time you interfere…"

"It's none of my business…"

"Oh it is!" Lois shot back. "Diana's going to be my maid of honor and Bruce is going to be your best man. Think how awkward the wedding's going to be now."

Clark paused. She did have a point.

Lois walked up to her fiancé and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm just kidding Smallville. They're adults; they'll be able to fix it."

Clark grinned as he put on his cape. He was going up in full regalia.

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Dick sat in the car as he waited for Bruce. The last three months had changed so much. His relationship with Bruce had improved dramatically. It was like old times.

Dick still had Bludhaven to look after, but at least he was allowed to come back into Gotham when Batman needed the help.

Not that he wasn't getting plenty of it.

It only took Batman a week to straighten out Gotham again largely because four females who were now calling themselves the Birds of Prey were picking up the slack.

Bruce was so impressed by Barbara using his prototype batsuit in an attempt to keep his legacy, he decided to reform the Batclan.

Barbara declined though. She was done with the vigilante side and preferred being back behind the computer. She returned the suit to Bruce once they had brought Gotham back to what it was before the accident. Besides, she enjoyed working with Selina, Helena, and Dinah more, especially now that Batman let them patrol the East End on their own.

Imagine that. Batman was allowing someone else to have some jurisdiction in his city.

Batman finally accepted he wasn't alone with his war on crime.

Dick's phone suddenly rang. He quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Dick! It's Babs! He's here!"

"No really?" Dick asked excitedly. His efforst finally paid off.

"Yes. You did it! Don't tell Bruce though. I want it to be a surprise."

"Understood," Dick said before hanging up and beaming. Things were getting better and better.

"What are you smiling about?" Bruce asked as he somehow managed to get in the car without Dick noticing.

"Oh I am just never used to seeing you at ease…" Dick thought off the top of his head. It seemed to work because Bruce did not pry any further.

"How were the boys?" Dick asked to change the subject.

Bruce paused.

"They're good. I'm going to come back next week."

"Really? That's great Bruce!" Dick said as he started the car. "Their grandma probably appreciates what you just did."

"Oh believe me she does."

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Diana gave Lois a hug as Tom and Superman shook hands.

"So glad you're here," Lois said.

"So am I," Diana replied. She truly was happy for her friends.

"Who's here?" Tom asked out of curiosity.

Superman looked around.

"John and Shayera are coming, Wally and Linda are over there, and J'onn's around somewhere. We are just missing Bruce…"

At the mention of Batman's name, Tom noticed Diana's posture stiffened for a second. It was only a second but that was all he needed.

Diana was still talking to Lois she didn't notice Tom was watching her. Or if you could call it watching. He was looking at her with the utmost uncertainty. Like he didn't really know her.

"Hey Supes, can I talk to you for a second?" Tom asked.

"Sure," Superman complied and curiously followed Tom out of the room. When Tom felt they were far enough he stopped.

"What is it Tom?" Superman asked with concern.

Tom sighed.

"What happened?"

"I beg your pardon?" Superman asked confused.

"Don't patronize me Superman!" Tom shot back. "What happened with Diana and Bru-Batman?"

Superman was bad at hiding his surprise that Tom knew about their history.

"How did you…"

"She's been acting weird ever since she got back from that mission. And every time someone mentions him she has this look on her face like she lost him even though he is around. What happened?"

Superman sighed.

"I don't think I'm the right person to tell you this," Superman stated. And with that he walked away, leaving Tom to himself.

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J'onn smiled to himself as he was greeted by his friends at the Watchtower. After the whole mission, they decided to let him stay. If it wasn't for him they would be loss.

J'onn however declined and decided to go on another soul searching sabbatical. He was working as a doctor now at a clinic. He had retired from the superhero world for good.

He was having a better time doing what he did best. Caring for other people.

He also was making new friends as well. Especially a middle age receptionist that he had gone to lunch with a few times…

"We don't see you anymore!" Wally complained.

"I come up here five times a week!" J'onn shot back. That was true. He would come up to say hello and visit Shayera and John. But it was just to visit. No more meetings or monitor duty. Just visiting.

"Hey I like you to meet Linda," Wally said as he pushed Linda into the Martian.

"How do you do?" Linda asked politely.

"I'm a fan of your work. Wally has shown us all of it," J'onn teased.

"J'onn!" Diana shouted and embraced the Martian. "So glad you came."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss being around all of you for the world!" J'onn remarked.

Gone were his days of wallowing self-pity and isolation.

0000000

Dick stopped outside the cemetery. Bruce needed to make one more stop before they went back to the Manor.

Bruce went up with four flowers.

"Wait here," he told Dick. Dick understood. Bruce wanted some alone time.

Bruce first went up to a lonely grave to the side.

"Hey Jim," Bruce responded as he dropped his first rose. "You were right. It makes it better."

Bruce then sighed as he looked around before speaking again.

"Thanks for making me realize what was really important in life."

And with that Bruce left and continued up the hill. He was visiting his parents and Alfred's graves next.

Quickly Bruce dropped two roses on the Wayne headstone.

He didn't need to say anything to them. They understood. His actions spoke for them.

He then approached Alfred's grave as he dropped the last rose.

"You were right Alfred," Bruce said with a little hope in his voice. "I was never alone."

A gust of wind came at that moment. That caused Bruce to reflect. It was almost as if Gordon, his parents, and Alfred were trying to talk to him; letting him know he was doing the right thing now.

Bruce sighed and decided to take in the beauty around him. Life was so much better now that he let more people into his life again. The pain wasn't as bad anymore.

He decided to head back.

When he passed Andrea's mother's grave he paused.

He was allowing more people into his life as friends and family, but he still hadn't settled down with any woman yet.

His past history with his love life made him feel like he still was beyond hope of having a stable relationship with someone. Especially someone as good as her…

Bruce shook his head. Not the time to think about that.

But for some reason that was what his mind was doing. Going over the women in his life right now.

Andrea and Talia he probably would never see again. Lois, well she was marrying his best friend. They got a long well as friends.

They enjoyed one another's company and surprisingly there was no awkward tension between her and him. They were just friends now, nothing more.

Just like his renewed relationship with Zatanna.

Within a week after they had defeated Destiny, Zatanna had return from her mission and learned how he had almost had died. She had angrily teleported herself to the batcave to yell at Bruce for almost getting killed.

Bruce managed to calm her down by apologizing how he was distant to her when she always offered help to him. He practically begged her to forgive him for his faults.

To his surprise Zatanna did. She could never stay mad at him. They shared too much of a special bond.

She would come by the Manor to visit once a week now. It was good to have her around. A really good friend who understood him well.

Bruce then went on to thinking about Barbara. He was proud of her. When he found out about her temporarily taking on his mantle he wasn't upset but glad. It gave him hope that some people like her still looked up to him and believed his efforts weren't for nothing.

It was because of her, he decided to bring the Batclan back. However she declined and Bruce understood. She was her own woman now and things were going great between her, Dinah, Helena, and Selina…

Bruce couldn't help but flashback to the rooftop conversation he had with Selina the second night he was back in Gotham. It was the first time they had talked since they had broken up.

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"_So the rumors are true. Even death fears you," Selina replied flirtatiously._

_Batman let out a little grin._

"_Why are you here Bruce?" Selina asked as she made her way over to him._

"_I needed to see if it was true. You actually have been taking on the entire East End by yourself?"_

_Selina grinned and was now right in front of Batman. She playfully began to stroke his jaw._

"_Not all the time. The girls help out occasionally."_

_Batman continued to grin as Selina continue to playfully rub his jaw. She let out a quick sniffle to try to hide she was on the verge of crying._

"_What is it?" Batman asked worried._

_Selina just smiled._

"_I'm just glad you're back," she said and leaned in for a kiss._

_Batman responded as well. He did miss her. He felt bad how he never trusted her when in fact she was one of the few people who still believed in his legacy. Out of all people it would be her to try to fight in his name._

_However as much as Batman enjoyed the kiss, he couldn't take much of it and slowly pulled away. He couldn't give her the love she wanted from him._

_Selina seemed hurt for a second but regained her bearing._

_She was grinning now._

"_You're in love," she teased. "Batman is in love."_

"_What?"_

"_I can tell Bruce. You never hold back like you just did," she said. To his surprise she didn't seem jealous._

"_Selina…" he said trying to apologize. He didn't mean to hurt her like this._

"_Don't be sorry Bruce. We had amazing times together. We had something special. But it's like they say, that ship has set sail," Selina replied sadly._

_She turned to leave._

_Batman grabbed her wrist. Selina turned around curiously._

"_I still love you…" he said._

_Selina smiled._

"_And so do I. But you don't love me as much as her," Selina pointed out._

_Batman stiffened._

"_I don't know what you are talking about…"_

"_Oh please. Don't try to fool me. Like I always say, I know you too well."_

_Batman didn't give a response._

"_Look Bruce, believe it or not I'm happy for you. You deserve to have someone you love. If you want my advice as a woman don't wait too long…"_

_At that moment the sound of a mugging a few blocks away was heard. Selina looked at Batman._

"_I got this one Bruce," Selina assured before Batman could even move. "Just do me a favor."_

"_What?" Batman finally asked._

"_Love her properly, or else you are going to be hearing from me," Selina said while flashing her claws. She then took off to help stop the mugging leaving Batman alone._

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Bruce thought about what Selina had said three months ago. She even seemed to know that he was in love with Diana. How he couldn't be too sure but she did know him the best. He was surprised how well she took it though. But then again, people do change.

Both he and Selina had moved on. Finally they started making some big improvements in their life and it was helping them. Making both of them happier.

But he still hadn't told Diana how he felt.

He just couldn't.

She like him had her heart opened forcibly. She didn't want the lasso to make her tell her feelings for him when she thought he was going to die again.

Plus she loved Tom and he didn't want to destroy that for her. She deserved a man who wasn't afraid to love her.

He admitted it. He was afraid to love her! Not because he was he afraid of being happy now though. The current changes in his life had shown he could still be happy and be Batman.

He was now afraid that he would hurt her. He didn't deserve her. He didn't want to ruin the great relationship that she deserved with Tom.

They made their choices. They decided they would accept that they both loved each other but that was it. They didn't need to be together. Too risky.

He was still thinking about it though when he finally made it back to the car and Dick drove it to the Manor.

0000000

"Diana!" Tom called after her. "We need to talk!"

Diana stopped talking to Lois and Linda to give Tom a puzzled look. Something about his tone of voice seemed to put her off.

"What is it?" she asked.

Tom gave her a look that told her he wanted to speak in private. That was all the confirmation she needed.

Diana excused herself and walked with Tom until they finally stopped somewhere they believed to be private. He seemed very agitated at the moment. She never saw him like this. He was usually confident and poised.

"What is it Tom?" she asked with concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I need the truth," he said breaking eye contact with her.

Diana had a feeling where he was going with this but how could he possibly know?

"Do you love him?" Tom asked after he seemed to finally find the right words to say.

"What?" Diana asked trying to act like she didn't know who he was referring to.

"Diana, please," Tom begged. "For me, answer honestly. Do you love Batman?"

Diana paused. She wanted to deny but she couldn't lie to Tom. But then again if she told him the truth it would hurt his feelings. She was debating herself what she should say that she didn't give an answer right away but just silence.

That was all the confirmation Tom needed though. He gave a sigh and looked the other way.

"I'll call off the engagement then…" he said.

"No!" Diana cried. "Don't do that! I love you! I want to marry you still…"

"I don't doubt that Di!" Tom said turning around, his eyes showing tears. "I know you love me! That's why I love you!"

"Then why are you doing this?"

Tom sighed.

"Because ever since you came back from that mission you haven't been the same. I knew something was wrong but I was so happy you said yes to my proposal that I ignored it and was in denial. But I knew something was wrong…"

"There's nothing wrong with you…"

"It's not that! It's just I knew you were holding back! Like you couldn't fully love me as much as you wanted…"

"I do love you!" Dian protested. "I just had a lot of stuff to think about…"

"But you love him more," Tom pointed out softly.

Diana couldn't respond to that.

"Don't you see Di?" Tom asked, no pleaded. He was grasping her hands tightly. "I love you so much that I can't in good conscience try to make you love me because you would feel guilty if you left me for him. I can't allow myself to force you to not be with the man you really love."

Diana was crying as well. He really was the perfect man. Why did she have to love Bruce? She was starting to feel a little anger toward Bruce even though it was not her fault she loved him. Why couldn't she just feel that way to Tom? The one who actually was willing to lover her back?

Diana slowly slipped off the ring.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered as she placed it in his hand.

Tom leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"I am too," he said. "I'll move my things out of your place tomorrow," he explained.

And before Diana could say anything, he left to go get teleported back to Earth. No use being here now. He couldn't stay up here anymore.

Diana sighed and leaned against the wall.

Why? Why now?

But she couldn't deny what Tom said was the truth. She didn't love him as much as Bruce.

Unbeknownst to Diana, a camera had been watching them this entire time.

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J'onn and Superman watched from the Monitor Womb as the whole conversation played out.

They both sighed sadly as Tom left.

Superman made sure to delete the film. Diana deserved her privacy.

J'onn chuckled a little.

"They are so stubborn, her and Bruce."

"I really thought they were going to get together," Superman mused. "After everything…"

"They both had their feelings forcibly revealed to each other. Obviously they would both prefer if the other did it by their own choice."

Superman sighed.

"It's too late to fix that now though."

"Maybe not…" J'onn mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I got an idea…" J'onn said.

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Dick pulled up to the Manor. He saw Barbara's car outside. She was here. And so was there special guest.

"Are you alright Dick?" Bruce asked.

"Of course I am!" Dick lied, trying to contain the mixture of excitement and apprehension he was feeling.

Bruce eyed him suspiciously but made his way to the Manor.

When Bruce opened the doors he had expected Barbara to be nearby waiting to greet them. To his shock there was someone else. Someone he hadn't seen in two years.

"Tim?" Bruce asked.

"Hey…Bruce," Tim said a little awkwardly. He had aged a lot since Bruce last saw him. He had grown at least six inches. He was staring Bruce with uncertainty mix with anger.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked.

Tim sighed and broke eye contact.

"Babs has been calling me ever since you're accident. I've been ignoring them until finally Dick called me. I figured if even he was trying to convince me to come over here, there better be a damn good reason."

Bruce turned around to glare at Dick who was grinning guiltily. So that was what he was up to.

"Uh…I'm glad you're okay," Tim said in an attempt to be polite.

Bruce did not say anything.

Tim sighed.

"Well it was nice seeing you…"

"How are you?" Bruce asked.

Tim paused. Bruce was actually showing concern?

"Um, good?" Tim answered unsure.

For a while the two proud males just continued their awkward conversation. Barbara was watching it from afar, rolling her eyes. Why were men always so stubborn?

Finally Bruce seemed to found a way to break the ice.

"I…I missed you," he said with great difficulty.

Tim's eyes lit up at that. He wasn't expecting that.

At that moment, the two men ran up to each other and embraced. Father and son.

"I missed you too Bruce…" Tim said as tears fell down his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Bruce said.

"I should be the one who's sorry. I was just too proud…"

For a while the two kept apologizing back and forth until finally they broke away.

"So…" Tim asked. "I heard the Batclan might be coming back together…"

"You want to join?" Bruce asked. It wasn't a question but an invitation.

Tim was surprised by that. Bruce was offering him to join the Batclan again? After everything?

"Really?"

"Well, you have been out of the field for a while so I'm going to have to demand a rigorous training exercise before I even consider it. That is if you think you are up to it."

Tim beamed at the challenge.

"Bring it on old man," he teased.

At that moment Bruce's commlink buzzed.

"Batman, this is Superman. Where are you?"

Bruce swore under his breath. He was late to help out Clark and Lois with their wedding planning up at the Watchtower. Lois was going to kill him.

"I'm on my way," Bruce said before hanging up.

He then looked at Tim, Barbara, and Dick guiltily.

"I got to go…"

"It's okay, we understand," Barbara said giving him her permission.

Bruce quickly headed to the batcave. In less than a minute he was suited up ready to be teleported up to the Watchtower.

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"Diana," J'onn said on her commlink.

Diana quickly wiped the tears from her face and composed herself.

"Yes J'onn?"

"Some of us are meeting in the Founders' conference room to discuss more on the wedding. We need you here."

Diana sighed and composed herself.

"Sure J'onn. I'll be right there."

Why were they having it in there? Probably too many cooks in the kitchen in the main area. Everyone was probably offering Lois and Superman wedding tips.

000000

Batman teleported up to the Monitor Womb to find Superman waiting for him.

"Glad you're here," he said and dragged Batman along before he could say anything.

"What are you doing?" Batman hissed. He didn't like being carried.

"I'm sorry but Lois is getting into bridezilla mode!" Superman explained nervously. "She just picked a fight with Shayera!"

Batman groaned. Never good to get a pregnant Thangarian angry at a bridezilla. Talk about recipe for disaster.

"I managed to lock her in the conference room…"

"You did what?" Batman asked. Typical Superman. Had no idea how to deal with women.

"It was the only way to protect her and Shayera from hurting each other!"

"Then why am I here?" Batman asked, finally breaking free so he could walk side by side with Superman on his own accord.

"She'll listen to you. Can you calm her down? Please?"

Batman was slightly amused at how Superman seemed to be a complete idiot right now. But he was his friend and he felt he owed this to him.

"Fine," Batman conceded just as they reached the conference room.

"Great," Superman said as he opened the door.

Immediately Batman's sharp mind noticed something was wrong.

"I thought you said you locked it?" he asked suspiciously.

Superman instead pushed Batman with so much speed and force that Batman practically flew into the conference room.

"What the hell?" Batman cried as he landed on the floor. Did someone give Superman red kryptonite again?

"Bruce?" he heard an angelic voice behind him.

Batman turned around to find that it was just him and Diana in the conference room. She seemed just as surprised as he was.

Reality was hitting Batman like a speeding train. That dirty Kryptonian…

Before Batman could react, he heard the sound of the doors locking.

He and Diana were trapped inside together.

**Had to have one last cliffhanger. Only one chapter left. **


	40. Heart of Light

**To be clear after reading Anonymous72477's review in case there are readers who think I have been purposely withholding updates to create suspense: I give you my word that I have never published a chapter when I have had the subsequent chapter already written. I give you my word the minute I finished a chapter, the first thing I do is edit and reread before immediately publishing it. I don't start writing the next chapter until I have published the previous one. Thank you all for sticking to this story. I hope this ending satisfies your loyalty to it.**

Diana understood immediately what was going on when the doors shut. She was going to kill J'onn…

"This isn't funny Kent!" she heard Batman shout as he tried to override the security on the door.

Diana rolled her eyes. Typical Bruce. Running away from his problems.

"I wouldn't do that Bruce…" they heard Superman say on the speaker. We already overrode your countermeasures to open this door. You aren't going to get out of this one until we let you."

Batman glared. They had no right to interfere like this.

Well he'll show them. Nothing was unbreakable…

ZAP!

Batman felt an electric shock on him and he yelped in pain and fell over.

"Warned you…" Superman said though they could tell he was trying to stifle a laugh.

Diana ran up to Batman.

"Are you alrig-"

"I'm fine," he snapped angrily and got to his feet and ran to the other door to see if he could have better luck with that one.

"Of course you are…"Diana muttered sarcastically.

"What?" Batman asked turning around, glaring at her for daring to mutter at him under her breath.

Diana responded with an angry glare of her own.

"You heard me," she stated calmly.

Batman continued his own glare before speaking.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing," Diana said with mock ignorance. "There is nothing wrong with a man who runs away from his problems like a coward…"

"I don't run away from my problems!" Batman shot back his temper rising.

"Sure you don't," Diana said turning around before sighing. "This is so you. Trying to run away from everything…"

Batman had gone back to work with the other door. Diana sighed and just looked the other way. This was all a mistake…

ZAP!

Batman gave another cry in pain. Diana couldn't help smirking this time at how he was bested twice in a row.

"What are you going to do now?" Diana mocked.

Batman glared at her.

"Wait. I can hold out longer than they can."

And that was exactly what the two did. Both stubbornly sat in a chair, not making eye contact or talking to each other. They were both too proud to be bested by this. They were going to wait this one out.

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Superman and J'onn watched the two stubborn heroes sit silently for an hour from the Monitor Womb.

"Well that didn't go as plan," he muttered, a little annoyed at how Bruce and Diana were acting like spoiled children by giving each other the silent treatment.

"Give them time," J'onn said. "Give it time."

000000

An hour had passed and still Batman and Diana refused to talk. However the silence was getting on Diana's nerves.

Finally when she couldn't take it anymore she looked at Batman before speaking.

"How's Gotham?"

"Good."

"The others?"

"Their fine."

"And you?"

"Up until now, just well."

"Good," Diana said before turning away. What was with this man and his refusal to actually talk once in a while?

To her surprise, Batman actually asked her a question.

"And you and Tom?"

Diana didn't turn around to face him because she didn't want to risk her facial expressions giving herself away. Still the pause was enough to give Batman the answer.

"…we're fine," she lied. She knew Batman didn't believe her. He knew her too well.

"What happened?" he asked.

"None of your business!" she snapped at him.

"So it's okay to ask about my personal life but yours is off limits?" Batman retorted.

"You lost the right to ask about my personal life!" Diana said her temper rising.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Diana turned around so Batman could see her face flushed with red.

"What do you think it means?"

Batman did not give an answer so Diana decided to vent more.

"After everything that happened, you refused to talk about it! About us! You just tried to act like nothing happened!"

"You're one to talk!" Batman snapped back, finally showing a little anger. "It took your own lasso for you to admit the truth! Some goddess of truth you are. Who's hiding now?"

"You're the biggest pigheaded, arrogant, jerk I've ever met!" she shouted.

"And you're a patronizing, high and mighty, stubborn meta!" he shot back.

Diana stood up angrily.

"I hate you so much. Do you know how sometimes I'm tempted to just punch you in the face?"

"Go right ahead," Batman threatened, leaning in.

Diana threw her hands up in the air with frustration and turned around. She could feel tears forming. She didn't know why, but her heart was opening itself up to him. She just felt like she needed to tell him this.

"Do you know why I hate you so much? It isn't just because you are a condescending, arrogant man. It's because out of everything that has happened, my heart still chose you. It could have chosen any other good man to fall in love with, but it had to be you. Tom figured that out and left me! I hope you are happy!"

"He left you because what?" Batman asked. The anger in his voice gone. He actually felt concern.

"Because of you!" Diana said turning around. "He knew how I felt about you and couldn't stay with me anymore!"

Batman seemed lost for words. He didn't mean for her to get hurt like that.

"I'm…sorry…." He said with general sincerity.

Diana sighed and turned around to look up at the camera in the room.

"I hope you are happy Clark!" she yelled at the camera. "Open the doors now!"

No response. Diana gave an angry huff and marched to one of the doors to try to open it.

"I wouldn't do that," Batman pointed out.

"I don't care!" Diana shouted and began to pound on it.

She immediately felt a shocking pain and reeled away. She could feel Batman was giving a satisfied smirk.

"Shut up!" she said.

"I wasn't going to say anything."

Diana swore in Ancient Greek and sat back down, this time facing Batman so she could glare at him. He was glaring back but it softened after a while.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you and Tom," he said.

Diana was surprised that he was apologizing to her. She softened her facial expressions to signal she was listening.

Batman was at a loss. One of the reasons he told himself why he couldn't be with her was she had Tom and he didn't want to ruin that. Now that reason was thrown out the window. What was holding him back?

When Batman didn't say anything, Diana decided it would be her again to break the silence.

"It doesn't matter," Diana said. "I guess were both doomed to be alone."

For a while neither said anything.

Diana then started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"It's we both had to fall in love with the two most stubborn people on this planet. Let me ask you something Bruce, did you ever found out what was my test for your Emblem of Love?"

"No…" Batman said. Dick told him everything except for a few parts, mainly what happened during the tests. Dick and Bruce agreed everyone deserved their own privacy on what they had to face in their tests.

Diana took a deep breath before speaking.

"I had to admit that I loved you when I thought you didn't love me."

Batman's eyes showed surprise again.

"How did you get that idea?"

"That was part of the test, to make me think you didn't love me! I mean I wasn't half surprised of that news after I got over the initial shock. What I said to you before you left the League and how you pushed everyone away…"

"I don't do that anymore!"

"But you still are afraid to be with me," she pointed out.

"That's…" Batman stuttered. Only she had the real power to make him lose his thoughts like that. "That's out of safety. You saw how dark my world is!"

"And yet you let other good women like Lois and Barbara in your life," Diana shot back.

That caused Batman to pause. She had him there.

Diana sighed.

"This is why we can't be together," she said. "You are too stubborn and afraid to commit to a stable relationship and I respect that."

Silence on Batman's end. What she said was only half true. He did fear being with her because he was afraid to be happy. But now after letting people back into his life, he couldn't deny that he actually wanted to be happy now. That he could still be Batman and not be miserable now seemed not only possible but probable.

But still something was holding him back. What was it?

Diana then looked at the camera again.

"You hear that? Please open the door!"

0000000

Superman sighed. Their little trap was going to fail.

J'onn was beside himself.

"I really thought it was going to work…"

"It doesn't matter, open the door," Superman said grimly. Both of them were too stubborn and proud to open their hearts to each other. Especially after they had been forced to earlier.

000000

Diana heard the doors open and sighed. She was going to have a little talk with Clark later. Maybe talk to Lois first…

"Diana…" Diana heard a soft voice.

Curiously she turned around.

Batman was standing up, unsure. He looked like he wanted to beg but was too proud. She was done with this game though.

"Last chance, Bruce. No lassos, no journeys to the heart. This is your own accord. Do you love me or not?"

Batman gave no answer. She didn't expect him to.

Diana sighed trying to fight back the tears. She shouldn't expect anything else.

She was about to leave when he heard his voice.

"It was your confidence…" Batman said in almost a whisper.

Diana froze and turned around confused.

"What?"

Batman seemed to be shaking. He didn't like acting this vulnerable in front of anyone.

"When I first met you Diana. The first thing I loved about you was your confidence. How you wouldn't let anyone try to tell you what to do. It is a strength of character I always respected."

Diana continued to stare at Batman questioningly.

"But that is not why I fell in love with…why I still love you today."

Diana's eyes were watering. He was actually opening to her? This had to be a dream.

"I love you because you have done something no other woman has done to me…" Batman explained as he walked closer to her.

"You've…you've…made me feel something like I haven't felt in a long time…"

"What?" Diana asked with anticipation.

"You've made me feel no longer broken," Batman said, finally admitting the truth. "That I could heal from the pain. You made me feel like I could be saved…"

Now Diana understood what Bruce had meant when he said he was affecting her in that memory.

"Do you remember what I said after we defeated Darkseid?" Batman asked.

"You said I was affecting you and you were glad," she said happily as tears streamed along her face.

"And you always have. You have been the one woman in my life that I actually feel can change me. Not for the worse, but for the better. That I could actually be happy and have more hope for myself…"

"Then why do you fear that?" she asked.

Batman sighed.

"Because I was scared. I'm always scared. I hadn't felt fixed or whole since the night my parents died. Sometimes when I thought I was happy, I almost gave up being Batman. I thought being with you would make me do that same thing. Force me once again to choose happiness or Batman. I couldn't allow myself to face that temptation again…"

"I would never ask you to give up on your mission!" Diana pointed out.

"And that's why I love you Diana," Batman said as he took off his cowl. "You have changed me for the better but still accept me for who I am. You actually make me see a light in the dark world I live in. And you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save me just as I am to you."

Batman placed both of his arms around her and looked deep into her eyes.

"I love you Diana…" he said nervously.

Diana responded by pulling him into a passionate kiss. He was startled but only for a second. They were finally opening their hearts to each other. Those feelings they had tried to suppress and deny for so long were spilling out.

When Bruce needed oxygen in his lungs, he reluctantly broke away from the kiss and resumed to look into the eyes of the woman he loved.

"Now it's your turn…" he said to her.

Diana just smiled. No way was she going to deny it anymore.

"You're an arrogant, terrifying, obsessive, brooding basturd who I shouldn't be with. A man who keeps giving others a good excuse to hate him. Mind you, I still hate you sometimes…"

Bruce grinned guiltily.

"But despite that, I still love you because underneath everything, the cowl, the grim look, the glares, you are a good man. The best man I have ever known. A man who understands what's right. A man who will willingly give up his life for others. A man who will go into battle even when he is terrified. A man who will put his own pain aside to not burden others. A man who places everything but himself first. A man…"

Bruce looked at her curiously.

"A man…who deserves my love."

And with that the two lovers continued to kiss to confirm their relationship. They didn't even care if the doors were open or the cameras were on. This was something they had put off too long. They were finally accepting their love. Their hearts were now bonded into one. Together, forever.

0000000

Superman and J'onn grinned.

"You realize he is probably going to get us later…" J'onn pointed out.

Superman just beamed. "Worth it."

Bruce and Diana were his best friends and they deserved a happy ending. He shut off the camera to give them some privacy...

000000

_Some time later…_

Clark Kent paced nervously in the room. The wedding was about to start. He nervously adjusted his bow tie looking at himself in the mirror.

"Kent!" Bruce said who was sitting down calmly. "Relax!"

"I'm going to mess this up…" Clark said.

"No you aren't," Bruce assured.

"She's going to kill me. I'm going to ruin the wedding!"

Bruce chuckled.

"Believe me, you won't. You'll do fine."

Bruce got up and placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"I know people better than they care to admit, and I know you aren't going to mess this up."

Clark smiled.

"Thanks Bruce…"

0000000

The bride looked at herself in the mirror. She looked so beautiful in her dress. It was simple wedding gown nothing too showy or anything.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face…" she heard one of her bridesmaids tease.

"He's always nervous around me!" the bride shot back. "You should have seen him when he proposed."

All the women laughed. They were happy for the bride. She was going to marry a fine husband. A man who she justly deserved.

"Where's my maid of honor?" the bride asked curiously.

"I'm here Diana!" a voice shot back.

Diana turned to see Lois who had just entered the room. She was grinning at Diana proudly.

"You look perfect!" she said as she hugged her friend.

Diana smiled. After Clark and Lois's wedding, she asked Lois if she would be her maid of honor. Lois was so happy by that invitation she said yes immediately. She did a good job helping Diana plan the wedding. It was also fitting considering Clark was Bruce's best man.

"Although," Lois said in a warning tone. "I must apologize on behalf of my idiot husband. He's a nervous wreck this morning."

"Why?" Shayera asked as she tried to adjust her shoes. She was one of Diana's bridesmaids.

Lois shrugged.

"He's afraid he's going to mess up the speech at the reception. I swear he's more nervous than the groom!"

The women all laughed as they helped the bride get ready for her special day.

0000000

Bruce stood at the altar looking at Tim and Dick, his groomsmen. Clark was his best man, blushing nervously.

Bruce looked at Diana's bridesmaids. Shayera and Zatanna were grinning happily at Bruce while Lois, as the maid of honor was rolling her eyes at her husband's nervousness.

Bruce then looked around the area in the Watchtower.

Up front were seats reserved for the rest of the founders and the Bride and Grooms' closest friends.

In the front, Bruce could make out Selina and Barbara sitting in a corner smiling proudly at Bruce. He was glad they came.

Dinah and Huntress offered to pick up the slack in Gotham so both Selina and Barbara could attend Bruce's wedding. They were two important women in his life who deserved to witness him be happy.

He was surprised Selina had accepted the invitation, but then again, both he and Selina had changed over the past year.

On the bride's side, Bruce could see Queen Hippolayta and a few Amazon guards. She kept an aura of regality with her.

When Diana had told her mother she was going to marry a man, the Amazons were not too pleased at first. However Hippolayta loved her daughter enough to be willing to give her support in this. She wanted Diana to be happy.

Some noise caught Bruce's attention.

Walking awkwardly to his seat in one of the front rows was a big man with white skin and red eyes. For once his usually grizzled hair was actually done neatly and he was wearing a black tuxedo instead of his usual torn black jacket.

"E'scuse me, sorry pal!" Lobo apologized as he tried to squeeze into his seat.

"You aren't part of the League!" Bruce heard Booster Gold snap back.

"I'm a part time member ya idiot! Besides, I was invited!"

Bruce couldn't help laughing at that. Lobo may have thought he was only a part time member, but like him he would soon start to realize he would be working more in the League more than just a part timer. Same thing had happened to Bruce after all…

The music had changed to announce the bride was walking down the aisle.

Bruce smiled at the sight of his future wife. She was so gorgeous in that dress.

Diana smiled back as she was escorted by J'onn. She didn't have a father to give her away so they asked J'onn too.

Of course it took a while to convince Hippolayta to allow that. She wasn't too pleased and thought it was another method of Man's world to promote patriarchy…

Before Bruce knew it, he and Diana were holding each other's hands while staring deep into both of their blue eyes. They were both happy.

Bruce didn't really pay attention to what the priest was saying. Neither was Diana. They were just happy they were committing themselves to one.

"…you may now kiss the bride!"

Bruce didn't need to be told twice. He and Diana's lips met halfway as they publicly cemented their love in front of their family and friends.

"Get some!" Lobo yelled during their kiss which earned a few chuckles and glares from some of the guests.

000000

Barbara and Tim were sitting with Selina at a table. They were all watching Bruce and Diana look at each other with much love in their eyes during the whole reception.

Only the founders and their dates, Dick, and Lobo were allowed to sit at Diana and Bruce's table. Barbara understood. Bruce owed his life to those seven other people.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat behind them. The three turned around to find themselves staring at big man with white skin and long black hair. Lobo had gotten out of his seat and had approached their table.

"'Es'cuse me," Lobo asked while looking at Selina. "Are ya Selina Kyle? The animal activist?"

"Uh…yes?" Selina asked a little put off by not only Lobo's appearance but the fact he was the first person to not identify her by her work as Catwoman but by her work as an animal activist.

"Name's Lobo," Lobo said as he offered his hand to Selina. "Can I ask ya a question?"

"Sure," Selina said. What the hell? He was being polite to her.

"Have ya ever heard of the endangered species known as the space dolphin?"

00000

Diana couldn't help laughing as she saw Lobo and Selina discuss animal rights at the table across. This really was a special day.

But pretty soon it was time for Clark to give his best man speech and so everyone was called back to their tables.

To her side sat Shayera, John, J'onn, Wally, and Linda, who had an engagement ring on her finger that Wally had just put on moments ago.

To Bruce's side sat Clark, Lois, Dick, and Lobo who had just got back into his seat.

She felt Bruce squeeze her hand.

"Brace yourselves…" he whispered as Clark stood up to give his speech…

000000

Barbara watched as Superman was giving his speech. She was truly happy at what had happened the past year. Not only was she pleased what she, Selina, and the Birds of Prey had done, but that the Batclan, no Batfamily was saved.

Sure the past year had come with a cost though. With her being busy with Bruce repairing his life and starting the Birds of Prey, she and her fiancé, Sam had broken up. He just couldn't handle the double life.

No matter though. She was young and had plenty of time.

Plus the good that had happened to the Batfamily far outweighed her personal problems.

Not only were Dick and Tim back, but their relationship was better than ever. It was about time the males started loving each other again.

000000

Dick was watching Barbara as she smiled at Clark's speech. He gave a knowing smile to her.

He was happy that Bruce had forgiven him and they were father and son again. He just hoped one day he would marry a great woman like Diana.

A woman, who he was watching right now and planning to ask later if they could start all over.

He was just praying Barbara would say yes. Working with her and Bruce reminded him how much he really loved her.

000000

Linda was still looking at the ring on her finger that Wally had placed on before Clark's speech.

"Really Wally?" she asked with excitement.

Wally just grinned.

"Well I figured if even Batman can settle down then I can as well."

Linda gave a sniff as a few tears fell.

"Are you crying?" Wally asked half amused.

"I'm just so happy my Wally's growing up," Linda teased earning a goofy smile from Wally.

000000

Lobo was twitching excitedly during the speech. He was looking forward to talking to Selina about how he punished people that hurt space dolphins. She seemed to enjoy doing the same stuff he did to people who hurt cats. He didn't even care if she wasn't interested in a relationship with him.

He was the Main Man, he had plenty of ladies to love him. He was just excited to find a friend who shared his passion for protecting cuddly creatures like Space Dolphins.

He was also excited about being here. He actually enjoyed the League. A lot of cool people and plenty of beautiful ladies for him to hit on. And to his surprise, many people actually liked him.

Maybe the Main Man was willing to share his awesomeness with a few friends now. Maybe being selfless wasn't so bad after all…

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J'onn just smiled proudly at Diana. He was glad every one of them was finding happiness. They were all like his children.

If they were happy, he would be able to get through the day. He cared for them a lot.

But maybe things were looking up for him as well.

He had started dating the receptionist at the clinic he worked at and they seem to hit it off.

It was satisfying though to see his friends, no his family, living the happy lives they deserved.

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John and Shayera were listening to Clark's speech with rapt attention.

This was the first time they had been able to go out together since the triplets were born. Raising four kids could be a handful.

Thank God Mister Terrific volunteered to watch them so they could attend the wedding.

John put a hand on Shayera's. Shayera looked at him.

"Reminds me of our wedding a little," he grinned.

Shayera smirked.

"Yes it does. It also reminds me of what we did on our honeymoon," she whispered in a sultry tone. "Want to see if Holt wants to watch the kids overnight?"

John grinned and his kissed his wife on the cheek.

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Even though Clark was delivering a speech and doing his best to not mess it up. His mind was still on other things. He was so glad that for once there seemed to be a happy ending.

With everything going on in the world, it was refreshing that he had someone like Lois to go home to.

It was also refreshing that even Bruce, was getting the happy ending he so justly deserved.

That gave the most hopeful man in the world, even more hope. That a man like Bruce with so much tragedy in his life would finally have some happiness.

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Surprisingly, Clark's speech wasn't bad but really good. It was earning a few laughs and smiles form everyone. Even Bruce.

"…but enough about me. It's time for the groom to say something like he has requested!" Clark said as he passed the microphone to Bruce who stood up.

Many people were eying Bruce with interest. The custom was the toast ended after the best man gave the speech. However Bruce needed to say something.

Bruce cleared his throat and began to feel a little nervous. He was being vulnerable in front of a lot of people. Some people he didn't really know.

He immediately felt bad at making fun of Clark for being nervous earlier…

"Thank…thank you all for coming," Bruce said. "I know we're kind of breaking tradition here but this isn't a traditional marriage."

That earned a few polite chuckles.

Bruce took a deep breath. Diana clutched his hand to let him know she was there.

Bruce then began his speech.

"For those who don't know, I was in a dark place for awhile. I thought there was no way out and that eventually I would die alone…"

All of the guests were shifting uncomfortable. This was an unusually dark speech for a happy occasion.

"…and then there came a point where my life hanged in balance that I had little chance of living."

Many of the guests understood where he was going.

"But these…these eight people up here, didn't give up on me. After everything that happened, they decided to go risk their own lives to save my own."

Lobo was about to say he did it just for the fun but didn't. He knew Wonder Woman would kill him if he ruined their wedding.

"But they didn't just save my life," Bruce continued. "They save my soul. They brought my heart out of the darkness and into the light. They made me realize what was important in life and for that I thank you all."

Applause broke out from the guests at the founders, Dick, and Lobo. Clark was beaming with pride and speechless.

Shayera was trying to not cry like Wally was.

But Bruce wasn't done yet.

"But special thanks goes to Diana," Bruce said finally looking at her. Like Wally she was crying. It was so beautiful.

"I-I'm glad I have you in my life, and that you were there to pull me out when I thought I was gone."

Diana stood up and pulled Bruce in abrupt kiss. That earned many cheers and catcalls from the crowd. Clark decided to take over.

"Cheers everyone!" Clark said, raising his glass as everyone followed suit.

It seemed like ages when the newly married couple finally broke away.

"How could I ever think I never loved you," she said as she looked into Bruce's eyes with love.

"I have that affect on that people," he teased.

Diana smirked.

Suddenly a song started to pick up at the DJ. A familiar song.

Bruce recognized not only the song but who was actually singing it. He looked over to see Zatanna standing by the DJ waving at him guiltily.

She still had the tape of him singing in public and was playing it.

Bruce glared at the witch but it softened into a smile.

"You know, they're playing our song," Diana said.

Bruce understood and grabbed Diana by the hand.

"May I have this dance Mrs. Wayne?"

"Of course Mr. Wayne," Diana said as he led her to the dance floor. Everyone got up to surround the dance floor so they could witness the newly married couple have their first dance together.

Slowly the two swayed side by side just giving each other looks of love.

"I love you Bruce," Diana whispered.

"I love you too Diana," Bruce said with a smile. A true smile.

No longer did he carry a heart of darkness with him. It was a heart filled with life. With emotion, happiness, and love.

A heart of light.

The End

**I decided to leave it right there. Who knows if their marriage lasts or if Terry ever becomes Batman? I'm leaving that up for the readers' interpretations. The bottom line is though, my story ends here. Thank you all who have read it, especially Jess Marylin and RKF22 for reviewing almost every single chapter. Please check out my other stories like _League Legacies_ or my Batman stories for the FFDCU (a DC universe created by a few fanfiction writers) which I will be updating again soon. I also have a credit list of the characters. It's something I like to do at the end of my stories.**

**Starring**

Batman/Bruce Wayne

Wonder Woman/Diana

Superman/Clark Kent

Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onnz

Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol

Oracle/Barbara Gordon

Green Lantern/John Stewart

Bane

Catwoman/Selina Kyle

Flash/Wally West

Lois Lane

Linda Park

with Doctor Destiny/John Dee

and Lobo/The Main Man


End file.
